


Wings Taking Flight

by Carrisa_Rune



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Different Farmer Pasts, Expanding Game Mechanics, Friendship, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22663087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carrisa_Rune/pseuds/Carrisa_Rune
Summary: After everything, Cahaya had just wanted to hide away even when the storm settled. She should be happy, given that she has her friends and family at her side, but the weight of what's happened seems to be sinking her. Then, a single letter changes everything.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Winds of Change

**Author's Note:**

> Aside from Cahaya, Ro, Markus and Natsume the OCs who will be taking part in this story are my friends’ characters whom I have gotten permission to use. We’ve discussed this story idea for a while and after so long, my fanfic writer side decided to wake up once more. I wanted to give a different take to the usual Stardew Valley fanfic formula and also wanted to expand on different things. To Bee/Uwu and Lana, thanks so much for brainstorming with me on this, I hope you enjoy it!

As she entered the apartment, Cahaya gave a sigh. It was another day of her delivering commissions and looking for a new job. At this point, it may as well be routine. Before she could even place her bag down, she felt herself being glomped from the side with a grunt. “Haya~ you’re late!” a voice whined and Cahaya found herself giggling as wavy-haired tickled her cheek and neck. Well, at least she could rely on Bee to make things at home exciting, she thought as she hugged the girl. 

Hard to believe that it was only a few months ago that the two officially met in person. To be fair, they had known each other for years online. With multiple photos and video calls shared, one could call them sisters by the time they met in person. As Bee clung to her and whined, Cahaya simply patted her head and murmured placating words before penguin walking them to the couch for cuddles.

Grabbing the remote to turn on the TV, the two settled for some movie watching. While Bee was murmuring sassy comments on the characters, Cahaya felt her phone ring. She moved from the couch to check it and paused as she saw it was Ro. A cold feeling settled in her stomach. The last time that Ro had called, it was to tell her that she was being moved somewhere else along with Bee. As she answered the call, she greeted, “What’s wrong Ro?” while grasping at the front of her shirt in nervousness. 

On the other side of the line, the brunette male gave a sigh of his own. Rubbing his eyes he responded, “I’m sorry Gem, you were right” his tone clearly regretful. Cahaya’s hand clenched before she moved to lean against a wall. “...Thanks for the update Crow, I’ll try to figure something out” she murmured before hanging up as Ro apologized once more. The moment she did, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Bee looking at her in worry. “Sorry Bee, it looks like movie night needs to be cut short, I’m just… really tired right now” Cahaya said. 

Bee seemed to want to say something but Cahaya silenced her with a shake of her head. Laying a kiss on the girl’s crown, Cahaya then headed to her room. For a moment, silence filled the living room before a determined glint entered Bee’s eyes. If there was anything that helped Cahaya in times like this, it was some fresh sweets. While rummaging through the cabinets for some flour though, she found something curious. When she had pulled out the container of flour, she happened to spot an old-looking box tucked at the back of the cabinet. 

The box looked like a small chest with a silver clasp. Upon opening it, Bee found a bundle of letters tied together by an emerald ribbon. On top of them, laid one single a single unopened envelope with a purple wax seal featuring the initials PT. Curious, Bee broke the seal and pulled out the letter, it read: 

_Dearest Moonbeam,_

_If you are reading this, then you are in dire need of help. Unfortunately, by the time you receive this, I have most likely passed onto the next plane. Who knows though, I may come back as a new man or even an animal! Wouldn’t that be something?_

_That aside, I have written this letter to let you know that I have decided to leave Starpoint Farm to you. I have no doubt that you have managed to settle yourself nicely as a young woman, but an old man can’t help but worry. Cahaya, you are far too kind for this world, and I sincerely hope you don’t lose that light you hold. Whatever you may need the farm for, whether it be to sell it or even find a new life there, it’s up to you._

_I know you love Starpoint as much as I do and I have no doubt it will be safe and well cared for in your hands. I’ve enclosed the deed and anything else you may need with this letter. Take care Cahaya, know that you have been the greatest gift of this old man’s life._

_Good luck and may the stars guide you._

_Love,_

_Grandpa_

_P.S. If that fuddy-duddy Lewis is still around, he’ll help you settle things with the farm. Also, if you ever do make it to town, say hi to old Rasmadius and Marlon for me would ya?_

  
  


Bee hummed as she read the letter. Cahaya would often speak of her farmer slash adventurer of a grandfather with a fond tone. From the way the letter sounded, he was a rather cool old man. Looking through the other papers, Bee decided it was best to put aside the baking and check out the whole farm business the Gramps was talking about. With that in mind, she quickly made her way to her laptop and booted it up. 

Strangely, there was very little information on this “Pelican Town” and the region it was part of. The most she could find on the “Stardew Valley” was that it was a part of a cluster of regions “under protection”. Though the papers that talked about them were scarce and had some weird topics, she couldn’t find anything _too_ bad about Pelican Town and the region it was in. Still, it was a sure thing that Bee would be sticking to Cahaya’s side like glue. 

Looking at the time, Bee realized that she had ended up researching for more than a few hours. Since there would be no time to bake and Bee was sure that Cahaya was peacefully sleeping at this point, it was best to hit the hay. Placing the papers and letter back in the envelope, Bee tucked it back in the box. Once the box was settled on the coffee table Bee stood and gave a stretch before heading to her own room to sleep. 

The next morning, Cahaya stirred to the smell of breakfast cooking. As she reached the kitchen, she saw Bee setting down their meal. Taking a seat Cahaya greeted her before digging into her meal. Before she could snag another piece of toast though, Bee placed the small chest on the table. Cahaya immediately recognized and picked it up with a smile. “I thought I left this behind” she murmured as she opened the box and gently inhaled the faint smell of fresh grass and herbs that reminded her of her grandfather. 

Grandpa Harris and her were rather close throughout her childhood and young teen years. While she wasn’t able to visit his farm, she remembered how he’d make sure to come to every possible holiday and birthday he could. Plus he would often try to video call or send letters as much as possible. She remembered how much of a free spirit and a rascal he could be. One thing she loved was that they had the same eyes, a rarity in their family. His letters were something that often lifted her spirits.

Seeing the letter on top, her smile dimmed. She remembered the night he had given this letter. He had been moved to one of his old cabins so he could be surrounded by family. It was hard to believe that the frail and tired man on the bed was her high spirited grandfather. He did say though, that if she ever needed help, she could find answers in the letter. Upon finding that the seal had already been broken, Cahaya threw a raised brow at Bee who gave an unrepentant shrug. 

She was rather surprised to find that the envelope was rather stuffed. As she read the letter, she felt her eyes well up with tears. Somehow, after all these years, Grandpa managed to reach out a helping hand when she needed it the most. Sniffing lightly, she turned to Bee. Before she could speak Bee told her, “I think you should take over the farm Haya, it’s pretty much your best option at this point.” Cahaya bit her lip at that; she couldn’t deny Bee’s words, with the ways things were going, taking on a new life would be the best. 

“Ok, I can talk to Ro about this, maybe I can ask if I can leave this place to you, I don’t think a farm life is-” Cahaya began to tell her only to be quickly cut off. “Oh hell no! I’ve seen the map of that farm, there’s no way you’re taking care of the place alone, you’re stuck with me whether you like it or not Blossom” Bee told her, emphasizing her words with a pointed finger. Knowing there was no arguing with her, Cahaya gave a sigh and a nod before taking out the other papers stuffed into the envelope.

Bee was right, Cahaya thought as she looked over the map of the farm. From the way her grandfather described things, the farm would be no easy task for one person. Plus, who knows what kind of state it was in now. Even with her general knowledge of it, Cahaya knew she needed help. Bee was great but she was also just one person. Thinking of her different friends, she considered who’d be good to join them. 

Then, she remembered Lana. Out of all her friends, the redhead was one of the more level-headed of them. The last she heard, Lana had just gotten away from her own drama and was trying to settle with a job at a publishing company. Though Lana wasn’t struggling, Cahaya could tell from their previous chats that she was lacking inspiration and looking for a change. If she and Ro manage to convince the company to do an exposé on the “protected regions” it could certainly work. 

But first, she needed to run it through with her. Explaining her plan to Bee, Cahaya scarfed the rest of her breakfast before scurrying to her own laptop. It didn’t take long for her to log in to their chat page. Luckily, Lana was online, so Cahaya quickly sent a message

**_Chai Cahaya: Hey! You busy?_ **

**_Lana Banana: Hey! Slow day so...pretty much, what’s up?_ **

**_Chai Cahaya: ’ve got something I’d like to offer you_ **

**_Lana Banana: Oh?_ **

**_Chai Cahaya: Would you like to live on a farm with Bee and I?_ **

**_Lana Banana: ...What?_ **

Cahaya quickly explained the situation to Lana as well as her plan. She could feel Bee looking over her shoulder but paid her no mind as she waited for Lana’s response. It was no surprise that Lana thought the idea was more than a bit crazy. However, after some thinking and talking with her siblings, she agreed. Excited at how things seemed to be coming together, Cahaya quickly moved to call Ro. 

The days seemed to move on fast forward as Cahaya and her friends prepared for the big move. Sure, Ro was rather skeptical of the whole thing and basically ordered her to have Markus join her. Given that Markus was a rather business savvy 6’2 figure, it made sense that Ro would want him to join the girls. It was a good thing that her grandfather had built up some housing for his farmhands, less awkwardness that way. 

Of course, to fully settle things, they’d have to talk to some officials and the leader of the town. There was some red tape to go through but they managed. To find that Mayor Lewis was still alive and well was certainly a surprise but not an unwelcome one. By the time they settled the legal matters of the property with the Mayor, the girls managed to meet up with Markus and Lana to stay at a hotel near the port. 

Getting a boat that would take them the whole way to Pelican Town would take a bit, but it was enough time for the group to settle with one another and simply enjoy the free time together. Having known each other for more than a few years and Cahaya being their main link together certainly helped. When the day arrived for them to pack their things in the van and head for the boat, Cahaya couldn’t help but feel a bout of nervousness. As Cahaya looked out the deck while the others got settled, all she could only hope that she made the right choice.


	2. Taking Root

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Arrivals~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Flops* IVE DONE IT, now to plan and write out another chapter... whelp

The boat ride to Stardew Valley took nearly a week. When they did arrive near the region, they all felt like they were zapped upon passing through _something._ The moment their boat docked, the sun was just rising in Pelican Town. Safe to say, the group was more than ready for some dry land. Since they were told that the farm and cabins would be furnished, they didn’t bring as much. Just to be safe though, they packed a few extra items along with their clothes and necessities. 

To their surprise, two people were already waiting for them at the docks, an older looking man and a redheaded woman. “Oh la la~ is she part of the welcoming committee cause I’m already feelin’ more than welcome” Bee purred. Cahaya only rolled her eyes at that and lightly smacked the girl’s head. While Bee pouted and rubbed her head, Cahaya headed down to greet them. Upon seeing the man, she couldn’t help but remember her grandfather’s description of who she now knew was Mayor Lewis. A mustached man who looks like he could fit in a black and white film indeed. 

Repressing a giggle she stepped down first and was greeted with an exuberant, “Ah! Miss Sophia! So nice to match a face to all those stories, Welcome!” from the Mayor. “Thank you, Mayor Lewis, Grandpa had told me of how you supported him in his early farming years, we’re thankful that’d you’d extend your help to us” Cahaya said with a polite smile. It was best to leave a good impression, he is the Mayor after all. As the Mayor puffed in pride, Cahaya turned to greet the redhead.

The woman beamed in response, “Hey there! I’m Robin, the local carpenter” she introduced. Before Cahaya could respond, Bee piped in, “Robin huh? That’s a pretty name, speaking of pretty, has anyone told you that you’re gorgeous?” Robin blinked at that, clearly surprised before chuckling in amusement. “Thank you?” she responded with clear bewilderment. Bee moved to flirt more only to be dragged away and silenced by Markus. As Bee struggled in Markus’ hold, Cahaya apologized to the two. “Please ignore my friend Bee here, she can be a bit of a goof” she explained, which had Bee protesting through Markus’ hand.

“Haha! It’s fine, she seems like a bit of a spitfire” Lewis said, “Shall I lead you to the farm?” At that, Cahaya paused and looked at the boat that held their things. “Would it be alright if two of my friends here handle bringing down all our things while Bee and I check out the farm with you?” Cahaya suggested. Lewis was amicable to the idea and even suggested using his truck. Once he handed the keys to Markus and Bee was released, he began leading the girls to the farm.

As they walked through the town, Cahaya admired the quaint structures she could spot. Just as she was about to point out the store, she saw where Bee was looking, or rather who. Silently elbowing the other's side, Cahaya hissed, “Don’t even think about it Bee, she’s got a ring, that means hands-off.” Bee rolled her eyes, “Well, it doesn’t hurt to look now does it?” she murmured with a smirk on her lips. Pinching the girl's side, Cahaya murmured back, “You’re incorrigible” and moved to block Bee’s view.

They continued to banter as they passed by the bus stop. The moment Lewis and Robin stopped and they saw the state of the farm though, they froze. Everywhere they looked, there wasn’t a large tree, rock, or weed that a space was filled with. The only distinguishable thing among the mess was the farmhouse and maybe a cabin to the side. Cahaya blinked furiously as she tried to comprehend the scene before. Bee, on the other hand, looked like she was going to blow her top. 

Sensing the impending explosion from the girl, Cahaya grabbed her friend's arm and gripped it tight in warning. “I understand that the farm was left alone for the past years...” Cahaya said, the unspoken _But I thought you were taking care of it_ rang clear though. Lewis coughed awkwardly at that, “Ah yes, well, it was your grandfather’s wish that only you could have access here” he said, a clear excuse. “And hey, sure, it’s a bit overgrown, but there’s some good soil underneath all that” Robin piped in. It was clear that Bee wanted to yell but before she could, the sound of a rumbling engine was heard. 

The four made way for the truck which Markus drove and stopped by the mailbox. Both he and Lana hopped out only to pause in surprise at the state of the farm. Markus turned to raise a brow at Cahaya to which she responded with a shrug. She had honestly thought the farm would be in better shape than this.

Once more, she shifted her attention back to Lewis, “Well, thank you both for fixing up the farmhouse and cabins, I understand the past years haven’t been easy. Now, it’s been a long trip and we need to settle in, we can handle our things from here, Markus will return the truck once everything’s unpacked” she said with a nod to the truck, “Robin, I look forward to talking to you about any buildings or upgrades the farm will need in the future” her words bringing a smile to the woman’s face. Though Cahaya’s words were unerringly polite, those who knew her could tell that she was quite miffed with the Mayor.

A beat of silence passed after Cahaya spoke. “A-Ah yes! You all must be tired” Lewis started, “Well, we manage to clean up the standard tools that were left behind and left a box for each of you to use, oh! If any of you wish to sell something, you can use the shipping bin over there” he pointed towards the crate off to the mailbox, “I’ll come to pick them up during the night or early morning and leave a pouch of payment for them behind, have a good day then, and welcome again Farmer Sophia!” with that, both he and Robin left. 

The moment they were out of sight, Markus moved over, “Farmer Sophia?” he asked, brow raised. Cahaya scratched her cheek lightly and sighed, “Yes well… it’s a simpler name to go by, and Grandpa often called me that to those he wasn’t as close too close to cause well, according to him, 'Cahaya is a special name and needs to be treated right'” she quoted with a soft smile. At her words, Bee calmed from her grumbling and glomped Cahaya with a coo. “Alright, alright, enough of that, we got a bunch of stuff to unpack and store, we can tackle cleaning up this mess of a forest in the morning” Cahaya told. 

The first thing they did was check on how big the farmhouse actually was. They found themselves disappointed when they saw that it held the bare minimum. Bee was especially upset when she found no kitchen but rather a single gas stove, a pot and pan, a cutting board and a few knives with some other meager utensils. While Bee silently fumed, Cahaya found a chest by the fireplace. It looked old and battered with a thick looking padlocked. She remembered being informed about it during a phone call. According to the Mayor, it was one of the few things Harris forbade from being touched. 

Remembering that a key was included with the papers, Cahaya hummed. “I wonder…” she murmured before pulling out the key she had made into a necklace. She kneeled down and placed in the key. When she turned it and the lock popped open, Cahaya gave a small cheer. Bee quickly moved over when she heard that, “What’d ya find? Hopefully, it’s some treasure, we’re due for some with the dump we got left with” she huffed. Shushing the girl. Cahaya opened the chest only to cough and sneeze at the dust that came flying out. 

Once the dust settled, the girls found that it was filled with albums, bundled letters, some journals, texts, and other interesting knickknacks. From behind Cahaya, Bee pulled out a picture frame that held an old photo of three men looking to be in their primes. “Damn Haya, is that your grandpa in the middle? He was a DILF” Bee commented. Slapping Bee’s leg, Cahaya continued looking through the chest before pulling out a journal that looked less old than the rest. Upon opening it, Cahaya was surprised to find a written note addressed to her. It read:

_Dear Cahaya,_

_Looks like you decided to take over the farm huh moonbeam? Had a feeling that you would somehow. I left ya’ a few journals to help you with anything you might need. I know the Valley can be a strange place and there’s a lot to get used to but don’t you worry. This old dog managed to learn the ropes and I’m sure you will too. Your adventure is just starting moonbeam, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and always know, help is always around if you need it._

_Let this journal mark your new story._

_Love,_

_Grandpa_

Caressing the faded signature with a soft smile, Cahaya soon set it aside. She then looked through the chest once more and found a journal with the label, “Starpoint Farm: A Guide.” It was leather bound and had parchment for pages, but seemed rather sturdy. Quickly reading through the first few pages, she soon gave a nod. Checking on the others and seeing them checking out the cabins, she called them over. She tells them of her findings before suggesting a plan.

Since none of them felt too comfortable in the new area yet, they could all sleep in the farmhouse until they were. The problem was, Cahaya wasn’t sure how they could do it. Lana then piped in, “Why don’t we take the mattresses from the other cabins and make one giant makeshift bed? We can just place the bed frame in the other cabin for storage along with other stuff we can’t fit in.” Everyone was immediately on board with the idea. 

However, Markus made an argument with the sleeping arrangement seeing as he was the only male and it wouldn't be proper. Bee quickly shut him down with the counterpoint of him being basically their brother and so, there would be no awkwardness with them. Plus, with him by their side, they felt even safer; and if he wanted, they could add a small pillow barrier. With that argument settled, they moved to unpack their things. Hopefully, with the four of them working together, their unpacking wouldn’t run too long. 

The first and easiest to place in storage were the linens, some additional furniture, Bee’s baking things, and Cahaya’s crafting items. The rest of them were some miscellaneous items and some things that could only be used when there were better facilities. As for the clothing not in their luggage, they decided they could use the cabin that was basically next door. By the time they finished moving their other clothes into the cabin, it was lunchtime. The group gathered at the farmhouse and had a small lunch of sandwiches and crisps they saved. 

Once that was done and the boxes were kept away, Markus went to return the truck. While he did, the girls gathered all their luggage and brought it inside the farmhouse. When they had been checking out the farmhouse, they were relieved to find that while it was bare, it was stable and functional as a home. The luggage was soon placed down and the girls went to remove the bed off its frame. By the time Markus had returned, they had the bed frame outside and he took over transferring it along with Bee. With Bee and Markus’ combined strength, transferring the beds and frames was quick work. 

Lana and Cahaya, on the other hand, worked on shifting the furniture in the farmhouse. Soon there were four mattresses laid on the upper right corner of the farmhouse. The table and chair were moved from the left side of the house to the lower right next to the TV. From outside, Cahaya came waddling in with extra pillows and plushies. Once all the pillows, blankets and other soft things were laid, the mattresses ended up looking like one big fluffy nest. With how much they did in one day, they were frankly too exhausted for dinner. Taking a quick shower and change, the group was soon out like a light as soon as their heads met a pillow.

* * *

In tandem, four phones rang out different alarms as 6 a.m. struck. From the pile of pillows and blankets, a groan rose out. A door clicked open and Markus stepped out from the bathroom looking fresh in a navy T-shirt and dark jeans. “Come on girls, time to wake up, we need to get a head start if we wanna clear out that mess of a field and figure out what to start with” he called as he tucked his shirt. The first to rise from the nest is Cahaya, blinking blearily with Bee hugging her side and grumbling. Lana was the first to stumble out though, standing and stretching with a groan. Ruffling her hair with a yawn, she went over to her luggage and picked out a deep green blouse and faded jeans. 

While Cahaya untangled herself from Bee, Lana went to take her turn at the bathroom. Cahaya had said that there would be no point in putting on makeup for today so getting ready wouldn’t take long. Once Lana finished her braid, she stepped out and Cahaya took her turn. She chose to wear a dark blue shirt with a checkered white and blue button-up and comfy jeans. After rolling the sleeves and tying her hair in a high ponytail, she stepped out. Bee then took her turn and soon stepped out in a bright yellow T-shirt and ripped jeans. They then had a breakfast of pastries and chatted a bit before finishing and cleaning up.

Once everyone was ready, Cahaya gave a nod before picking up the guide. “Right, so I’m sure you all found your tools and packs, while we were unpacking” Cahaya started, “First thing to know is that they’re standard, so you can’t really break boulders or cut down logs and stumps, don’t even try Bee” eyeing the girl who simply gave an innocent smile. Putting the guide aside she picked up her own pack. She presented it to them and said, “Ok, here’s something you gotta get used to, the bags in this region are pretty...different, while they look small, they can fit in a lot and I mean a _lot_ ” her words resulting in some raised brows. “You’ll see for yourselves soon enough, right, with that said, let’s get to work” she reassured before closing it and putting it back on. The others soon follow her lead. When she opened the door though, she gave a pause. 

At the side of the porch, there laid a package. She quickly moved to make room for the others to come out and see the package. On top was a note from the Mayor stating it was a little something to help get them started. When she opened the package, she found a bundle of seed packets. Looking through them, she found that pretty much all of them were labeled as parsnip seeds. Markus peered in and raised a brow, “Wow, he couldn’t even give _some_ variety?” he snarked. “Well… I heard from him during one of our discussions that the town was tight on finances as of late…" Cahaya weakly defended.

Everyone became silent at her words. Suddenly, a war cry rang out as Bee leapt down the stairs with ax raised and attacked the first tree she saw. With each swing, she swore and cursed at Lewis, calling him different things from an “old dustpan” at best, to a string of swear words at worst. Cahaya only gave a sigh before looking over at Markus, “Please make sure she doesn’t get too out of hand, we need to save a few trees for possible resources” she told him. The tall male nodded and gave a mock salute before moving to break down some rocks while keeping an eye on Bee. While the two were clearing out the tree and rocks, Cahaya turned to Lana, “Mind helping me plant these? I’m pretty sure there’s a lot” she asked. 

Lana nodded and the two began to count the packets. A total of sixty seeds were in the box and the two decided it was best to split the work in planting them. Taking half of the bunch, Cahaya decided to demonstrate how to start a field. It was a lucky thing that she often helped her mother with gardening. She didn’t want to imagine if she had zero ideas in working a hoe. Once the land was cleared of weeds and such, she pulled out the tool. As she formed the field she would explain and show deliberate movements so Lana could understand. Soon a small field was formed with three rows and ten columns. 

Lana then took her turn. While she wasn't as smooth as Cahaya in handling the tool and took longer, she managed to form the rest of the field. Next was planting the seeds. It was fairly quick work and luckily there was a trashcan nearby to throw the empty packets. The watering cans were rather plain and could only pour enough water for one plot at a time, but it was something at least. Just as they were about to water the plants, the loud sound of metal clashing against stone was heard. All turned at the source and found Bee in front of a boulder, staring at her pickax. With narrowed eyes, Cahaya called out in a warning tone, “Bee…” which had the girl running off. 

Seeing her run off, Lana gave a giggle and shook her head before watering one of the plots. Just as they were half-way done though, a swear rang out and they all turned. Bee had clearly tried to cut a log and dropped the ax in shock at the resistance. “BEE!” Cahaya yelled with fire in her eyes. Bee immediately scrambled to pick up the ax and ran off to a bundle of trees and rocks to hide. Cahaya huffed before finishing the watering and heading inside to pick up the guide. She looked through the pages before finding what she was looking for. Calling Lana over, she pointed at the page titled “Spring Plants and Forage Items.” 

Specifically, she was pointing at the parsnip plant illustrated, “Ok so, according to Grandpa’s notes, parsnips grow pretty fast here, it takes like 4 or so days, not including the day it was planted, for now, we can search out some forage items to gather and sell” Cahaya said. “Well, lucky enough, we got a good amount of food for the next few days, plus, with all our finances combined and converted, we got some pretty good savings right?” Lana offered and Cahaya nodded with a nod. Before Cahaya could respond, she heard her name being called. It was Bee, and it seemed that she had found something. Curious, Cahaya placed aside the text to see what Bee found. Of all things, she expected, a small shrine was the last thing. 

The shrine was a simple thing made out of stone with a few candle holders along with some strange runes. There was even a carved portrait of the main and an inscription. It was short and told of his titles as a friend, an adventurer, a farmer and a family man. What made Cahaya smile softly though, was the last line stating, “May he continue to smile like the sun on his next adventure”. She was brought out of her thoughts though when Bee tapped her shoulder and held out a note. “Found this on it, seems like it’s from your Grandpa but it’s weird, just says something about remembering his favorite fruits and teas and that he’s got a surprise for ya on ‘the dawn of your second year’” Bee said with a head scratch. 

Cahaya gave a giggle before her lips formed a sad smile, “He always liked to give surprises, as for the fruits and tea… we always had a special tea time where we would share fruity treats and teas from his farm, I guess he’s saying he wants me to continue them.” Seeing a cloud starting to form on her, the others huddled closer to her, with Bee draping herself over Cahaya in a loose hug while Lana and Markus took hold of one of her hands. Knowing that they must have looked a tad silly but happy with the warmth and comfort they gave, Cahaya giggled once more. She then took a calming breath and gave them reassurances that she was alright. When Bee released her, they all did. “Right, how many wood and stone did you two manage to gather so far?” Cahaya asked. 

Puffing out her chest, Bee declared, “Over sixty pieces of wood and thirty-five stone, I basically cleared any blocks from the cabins” a grin on her face. “Fifty-four wood and forty-one stones starling, more than enough materials to make something I say” Markus stated with his usual grin. Cahaya gave a clap of delight, “That’s more than enough to make a chest! Grandpa made all kinds of notes for crafting things for the farm, I’ll need… hm, 30 no, 50! Wood to make one” she said. “While I go work on the chest, Markus, could you go to town and buy us some other seeds? Lana, there’s a path down south leading to a forest, could you see if you can find any forage items? Bee and I can also check here once I’m done, we’ll be heading to Robin’s to check out her catalog and how much they are” Cahaya relayed. 

Cahaya then transferred what they had to her bag, shocking them as she showed she wasn’t joking about the bags storing a lot. With that done, Markus and Lana set off to do what was requested. Cahaya then turned to Bee, “Bee, while I work on this, would you mind searching the place for any plants? Mainly flowers and vegetables should be around, maybe even a mushroom, I won’t take long” she told her. Bee simply gave a shrug before running off. 

* * *

Lana hummed as she walked through the forest. So far, things with Cahaya and the others were rather nice. She didn’t expect to be included in this whole farm life thing but she was happy that Cahaya had thought to bring her in. As she spotted a yellow flower and tucked it away she thought of what exactly she could write about the place. It was cool of the others to find a way around her work plus give her a change of pace. Still, not many people would be interested in a fluff piece about a cozy little mountain town. 

Just as she thought this, she felt the hairs on her neck suddenly stand up. Looking around, she paused as she caught sight of a tower. No matter how you looked at it, it looked like an honest to God, pardon, Yoba, apparently, wizard tower. From its ivy-covered stone walls to its crooked purple roof, the whole building exuded an eerie and mysterious aura. Well, it looks like there was one thing she could write about. Best talk to Cahaya about it first though. With that thought in mind, she quickly moved on to find more flowers and other plants. The forest was pretty big and filled with weeds, but Lana seemed to have quite the luck in finding some forage items. When she could find no more, she gathered the fiber from the weeds she cut. 

Though she did see the ranch and cottage when she entered the place, Lana didn’t think she was ready to meet new people just yet. Hopefully, Markus was having better luck than her with the villagers. 

* * *

Given how tall Markus was, a leisure walk to town only took a few minutes for him. It certainly was a quaint place. While he wasn’t looking for change like the others were, he wasn’t gonna turn down the chance at making sure the girls were safe. A part of him always regretted that he didn’t act sooner back then. Still, the past is past and it was always good to see the little star smiling. Plus with that guard dog of a friend and that little writer girl at her side, she had more than enough support. That thought alone had the corner of his lips lifted in a soft smile. 

Upon seeing the first building he paused and looked at the signs. It was rather curious that a clinic was next to a general store, but who was he to judge? Opening the door of the store, he bent his head lightly and entered. He was sure that he made quite the sight with how tall he was but he was used to it. Looking at the man at the counter, Markus began to analyze the man. On the outside, he looked like an amicable enough. However, there was something about the glint in the man’s eyes. 

It was glint that Markus was more than familiar with from less than stellar businessman. Still, he could sense no maliciousness from the man. At best, he was a store owner who was looking for some easy money. At worst, he was a greedy salesman who was looking for someone or something to milk off of. Honestly, the most that could be said about the store owner, was that he was a weasel. All of these thoughts were running through Markus’ mind as he walked up to the counter. “Ah hello! You must be the new farmer that moved in! Welcome to Pierre’s, I’m well, Pierre!” the man greeted with a chuckle and held out his hand.

Giving the man a loose handshake, a bad sign if you knew him, Markus donned his business persona. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, good sir, Sophia’s the farmer of the group, I and the others are simply helping her as friends and family” he said with a grin. For those who knew him, it was the fakest smile he had. As the man acknowledged his words, Markus looked over the seeds, “I’ll be buying five each of these vegetable seeds” he said. Pierre instantly lit up at his words and quickly gathered the seeds that were ordered, stating how Markus had made a good choice and how “no better seeds could be found anywhere else” as he did. Markus simply gave an internal eye roll before paying for the items and taking his leave. 

Checking his watch, Markus saw that it was rather early to head back. Since he was in town, why not get to know the people. He looked around and happened to spot an elderly woman tending to some flowers. Well, if there was one thing that Markus knew about small towns, elderly people made the best of allies. Walking up to the woman, Markus cleared his throat, “Excuse me Ma’am” he called, hoping that she could hear him. She seemed like a gentle soul and the image of a gentle granny. Having known similar ladies though, Markus was sure that she had a fair share of stories under that bun of white hair. When she looked up to acknowledge him, he gave his most charming smile. “Hello Ma’am, my name is Markus, I’m one of the newcomers in town, my friend in Sophia is the new farmer” he introduced. 

The woman perked, “Oh! You must mean Harris’ little Cahaya!” she said with a giggle, “Harris told George and I all about his name scheme for her, I do hope you are all settling in well, you can just call me Granny dear” her voice warm and seems to have a slight accent of sorts. Markus couldn’t help but relax around her as he replied, “Sure Granny, are these your flowers by any chance? They’re lovely” and from there, an easy conversation flowed between the two. If Markus was lucky, he could gather some juicy gossip along the way. 

* * *

While Markus and Lana were getting familiar with the different parts of town and the people, Cahaya had finished the chest and stored all that they gathered. Once she did, she called out to Bee who had been cleaning up some more things. Bee popped up from inspecting a bush for any treats and scurried to her. “Time to see the pretty bird now Haya?” she asked with a grin. In response, Cahaya rolled her eyes and pinched Bee’s cheek, “We’re gonna see _Robin,_ you cheeky buzzer, and you best behave” she warned. The other girl gave a grin, “Come on Haya, I’m always on my best behavior” she said in a sotto voice. Cahaya could only narrow her eyes at Bee before huffing and making her way up to the northern path of the farm. It was a bit of a walk for them and they would pause to pick up some leeks and flowers they found, but they soon reached the place. 

“You go on and check around this area, I’m pretty sure you’ll be bored with all the business talk we’ll be having” Cahaya said. Bee thought about it for a moment before giving a shrug and walking off. As Cahaya entered the building, Bee went back to the path they were to check out the tent she spotted. It looked rather well set up and the inside was homier than expected. Walking around, Bee soon spotted the possible owner of the tent. He looked like a bonafide wild man, with long hair and a messy beard white from age and a tunic-like piece that seemed like a mix of animal skin and leaves. He was seated by the edge of the lake and seemed to be enjoying the sunshine. Interest piqued, Bee skipped over to the man and sat next to him by the riverbank. 

Seeing that she didn’t spook the man, Bee greeted, “Hey there nature man, the name’s Bee, is it alright if I hang here a bit?” and the man responded with a slow nod. For a moment, silence hung between the two. Then, the man slowly spoke, “I’m...Linus...sorry… don’t like talking to strangers…” his words were soft though his voice sounded gruff. “That’s alright, I’m pretty bored so I can talk for the both of us, my friend Haya’s the new farmer by the way and-” from there, Bee simply chatted with Linus. She babbled about how their story so far seemed like something out of a movie and grumbled about the Mayor and his cheapskate ways. At one point she pulled out a small bag of dried fruit she saved in her pocket. 

“Want one?” she offered as she munch on a dried strawberry. Linus responded with a gruff negative and stated that he didn’t want any pity. Bee shrugged, “It ain’t pity, I just think it’s better to snack with someone than eating by your lonesome” she said, still holding out the bag. Linus stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face before he gingerly plucked out a dried apricot with a mumbled thanks. Grinning as he accepted the fruit, Bee continued with her babbling, gushing on how cute some of Cahaya's mannerisms were. Soon the two finished the bag of dried fruits and nuts and Bee stood. She then thanked Linus for letting her be his company before taking a walk. As she did, she heard the sound of a pickaxe hitting a stone. Being as curious as she was, she took a few steps around to find the source. 

When she spotted the cave opening, her interest perked. It only grew as she saw the worker hitting away at the boulder. A mischievous glint entered her eyes as she tried to guess how big the boulder was. Before she could even take a step though, a hand took hold of her shoulder and a familiar voice warned, “Bee, no” from behind her. Trying to act nonchalant as she hid her disappointment, Bee huffed out, “I-I wasn’t interested anyway.” Internally though, she was mourning the loss of exploring the mystery cave she saw. When Cahaya’s back was turned to her, Bee couldn’t help but eye the lake and wonder if she could make a jump. “Bee, I _will_ withhold cuddle privileges for a week if you are even thinking of swimming or jumping past the lake to explore that blocked area that’s being worked on” Cahaya called.

Hearing that, Bee slumped and whined before following after Cahaya. It was half-past eleven by the time they reached the farm. When they reached the farmhouse, they saw Lana seated on the porch writing in a notepad. “Hey Lana! How was your little exploration?” Cahaya called in greeting. The two girls then took a seat on either side of the redhead and Bee peered at what the girl wrote. Bee’s eyes sparkled when she did, “A Wizard's Tower?! Where?” she exclaimed, excitement clear in her tone. “Well, it certainly looked like one, but I don’t think an _actual_ wizard lives in there” Lana said with a chuckle. Then, Cahaya voiced out, “Actually....” and the two girls stared at her. Raising a finger to signal them to wait, she stood and went inside the farmhouse.

After a moment, she came back out with a photo in hand. The two girls quickly shifted to have her seated in the middle which she did. She then showed the photo which depicted two older males. On the right was a tall looking male with hair streaked with white, a neat beard and a wide toothy grin that crinkled his eyes which matched Cahaya’s own sky blue eyes. He had his arm around a man with purple hair and a beard with a strange combo of a black cowboy hat and wizard-like clothes. He seemed disgruntled but if you looked closely, there was a soft look in his eyes. Pointing at the purple-haired man Cahaya said, “This is Rasmodius, he’s an old friend of Grandpa’s, he’s a wizard, and no, I’m not kidding.” 

Her words had Lana and Bee looking at her in surprise. After a moment, Lana sighed and seemed to accept the fact while Bee demanded for the story behind the two. “Well, that’s a pretty long story and best saved for another day, by the way, have you seen Markus? He seems to be taking a while…” Cahaya mused. Both girls shrugged their shoulders at that. Knowing Markus, he was most likely scoping out the entire town and the people. 

* * *

Markus was indeed scoping the town and people. By the time the girls had met up, he had snagged himself a bag of cookies from Evelyn after walking her home and meeting her husband George. What’s more, he had managed to meet the town doctor Harvey and Gus, the owner and chef of the Stardrop Saloon whom he got a packed lunch and dinner from for the group. Plus there was also Clint the Blacksmith, and Gunther, the new museum curator who had asked for his and the others’ help. When he happened to get a glimpse of the other market with the large neon sign “Joja Mart”, he had an off feeling from the place and decided to ignore it. On his way back to the farm, he had managed to spot a few more villagers on his way back. So far, other than the male he now deems the Weasel, the folks he’s met seemed nice enough. Sure, Harvey and Clint were both socially awkward in their own ways and Gunther seemed rather mysterious, but no real red flags raised with them. 

It was a rather small town to be honest. With technically only five businesses going on and less than thirty residents excluding them, there wasn’t that huge of a network to be made here. Knowing the kind of business Joja was though, it was fair they would want this little town as another branch. While clearly little happened here, there was just enough resources and land for the enterprise to exploit. Well now, it seems like there _was_ something that he could do other than being a bridge for Cahaya and the boss and helping her out. It always was fun to play around with businesses and people who got too big for their britches. If anyone were to look at him at that moment, the grin that he had could only be described as devilish before it disappeared in a blink. Whistling a jaunty tune, he continued on his walk back to the farm. 

* * *

After a lunch consisting of spaghetti with bread and salad, the group went to continue cleaning up the farm and planted the seeds bought. Once a few more trees and branches were cut and stones were broken down, they stored what they gathered and decided to take a break. While the others had been cleaning, Cahaya went to look through their things and brought in a board and a few other things into the farmhouse. Now she had the board hung up on one of the walls with a box of what seemed to be organizing materials attached at the bottom. Pinned on the board were maps of both the land and town, a layout of the farm, and a list of the town businesses with their opening hours and off days. There was plenty of space to post other things, but that was it so far. 

It was no question that Cahaya liked to keep things organized. More often than not, she would create a board for whatever she could. Most of them were on her commission works. But with her taking on a new work, she had to post an announcement of commissions being closed until further notice on her site. At the moment she was labeling different spots on the map as Markus pointed them out. When she heard what Markus said when she pointed out the symbol of the store, she deadpanned, “Really Markus? No, we are not labeling the General Store as the ‘Weasel Home’” poking the male’s cheek. Markus shrugged in reply while Bee cackled and Lana shook her head in amusement. 

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Evelyn gave me some cookies to share” Markus piped and pulled out the bag from his pack. The girls all gave sounds of delight as they took a piece and nibbled at the treat. Swallowing a bite, Bee asked, “So what now? We got to clean up plenty of the place, got some resources, planted stuff and even saw a bit of the town, seems to me that we’re settling pretty good into the farmer life.” Cahaya chuckled in response to that, “It’s only our first day Bee, let’s not get ahead ourselves, there’s still a lot of work to do before we can call this place a functioning farm, right now, we gotta choose what to sell and what to keep for future use” 

“I say we keep half of the forage items and sell the rest, don’t know about the fir and sap but it’s best to keep all usable resources in case we can use them for trading” Markus relayed. Cahaya gave a nod in agreement, “Lana” she called, catching the girl’s attention, “Would you mind doing the sorting? I’d like to make a record of things, it would be good to start our own inventory system, I’m sure these two have some tea they want to spill to one another” jabbing a thumb at Markus and Bee as she said this. Bee gave a mock gasp before sticking out her tongue and taking a seat across from Markus. As the two chatted, Lana and Cahaya went to their own corner to bring out all the forage items gathered. 

Cahaya couldn’t help but giggle as she saw how round the leeks and wild horseradish were. Even Lana was amused by how different the plants were from what they were used to. Noting down their findings, she pointed out what she wanted to sell and what to keep. Hopefully, this would bring a good profit and who knows, maybe they could cook a nice little meal with what they kept. Cahaya couldn't help but sigh as she looked at the notes she wrote. She knew it would be better to record things on her laptop rather than a notebook but it wouldn’t do. Since there weren’t many sockets and running electricity in the house, it was best to forgo using tech until they could upgrade some things.

While Lana went to drop the plants off for shipment, Cahaya joined Markus and Bee. Apparently, Markus was regaling Bee on how the museum slash library had lost the majority of its artifacts and books and the new curator was asking for their help. “Yussss! A Treasure Hunt!” Bee cheered. Markus raised a brow, “Uhuh, a treasure hunt with no map?” he said with a wry look. Lana came in as he said that and tossed in her own two cents, “Maybe there’s a digging ground somewhere?” she suggested and the group paused to think about it. “We could check around and ask” Cahaya tossed in. Following that, the group began to debate on what kind of artifacts the valley contained. Before they knew it, it was evening when they stopped their talk. Since there wasn’t much else to do and none felt like going out, they decided to turn in early. 

* * *

The next morning, Markus was the first up and ready as usual. While the girls stumbled through getting ready, Markus decided to check what showed on TV. Sadly, there only seemed to be about two to four channels. A weather channel, a cooking channel, a farming guide channel and strangely a fortune reading channel, rather lackluster if you asked him. For the most part, though, he found himself rather entertained by them. Maybe the whole neutral luck prediction might even help he thought with a chuckle. The first thing that was done when they stepped out was the checking of the shipping bin. Cahaya was the one to do so as Lana went to water the field along with Bee and Markus went to check for resources to gather. After counting the coins and storing them away, Cahaya checked the mailbox and was pleasantly surprised to find a letter.

It was from a man named Willy. According to the letter, he had just returned from an excursion at sea and wanted to meet the town’s newcomers. What’s more, it seems he also had a welcoming gift for them. While she was interested in what he had to give, she did make plans for the day and didn’t want to put them off. Calling the rest over, she read the letter to them and requested the three to check things out. “You sure you don’t want one of us to stay with you cutie?” Bee asked. Cahaya shook her head in response, “I’ve been planning this for a while sunbeam, and I’d really like to do it myself” she firmly said. The others simply nodded in response before heading out with waves. 

Once the group was out of sight, she headed for the cabin where they stored her crafting things as well as her tea stock. Grabbing some colorful boxes, a few teas and other things, she then went inside the farmhouse. After placing what she gathered on the table, she went to her luggage to pull out the memory box. While she didn’t get many messages from either Rasmodius or Marlon, Grandpa would often talk about the two. It took her some time to look through different letters but she soon had an idea what she could place in their gift boxes. Given that Marlon lived across the lake though, she may need to make a little extra something to help deliver his box but she didn’t mind. 

True, what she had in mind in giving these gifts was a tad self-serving, but she honestly did want to get to know the men who had brought so much color to her grandfather’s life. The first box to be filled was a dark purple box for Rasmodius; it had a few containers of tea, some dried plants she’d know would be interesting for him, and a pair of soft knitted gloves. The box was soon tied with a black ribbon. She then took a forest green box for Marlon’s gift. In it was a bag of jerky, a few unique candy bars, a swiss army knife she had saved, and some muscle ointment. A card was then slipped into the tie of each box. Following the gifts and cards was a mini platform made from some branches and some string she had. She had no desire to try hopping the lake nor swim in it, so this was the next best thing. Hopefully, someone would be on the other side to grab it.

Packing away the gifts and platform, Cahaya made her down to the forest. As she got closer to the tower, there were moments when she thought she saw something at the corner of her eye. Whenever she looked though, there was nothing there. Thinking it was simply sunlight reflecting weirdly somewhere, Cahaya soon reached the door of the tower and pulled out the purple box and placed it down. She gave a firm knock to the door, then waited a few minutes. No response was heard nor did the door open. Disappointed, Cahaya turned away and walked down the steps. However, just as she reached the last step, she heard the click of a door and whirled around. What she found was her gift gone and the door closed. Happy that her gift was received, she returned to the farm to head up the mountain path to the lake. It was just her luck that someone was out fishing, and judging from his clothing and pin, he was a part of the adventurers guild Marlon handled. Carefully making her way to the mini-land in the middle of the lake, she called out for the man. 

It was hard to tell if he saw her with how bushy his hair and eyebrows were, but he did raise his head slightly. “Hello! I’m Ca-Sophia! I’m the new farmer and Harris was my grandfather, I-” she introduced only to be interrupted by a gruff voice, “Yeah I know, that a gift for ‘Lon? The man asked nodding to the box she held in her arms. Cahaya nodded in response before setting down the platform with the gift. With a gentle push, the package soon floated towards him and the man picked it up with a nod of thanks. Cahaya gave a smile in return before scurrying off to return to the farm. On the way back, she wondered how things went with the others’ meeting with Willy. 

* * *

The trip to the beach didn’t take all that long. When they reached the place, they figured that the man would be by the pier. Lo and behold, the man was just off the shop fishing. Their footsteps were rather loud on the old dock and had alerted the man. He stood and turned to them with a smile, “Ahoy there! Which one of you happens to be the new farmer in town? Don’t tell me it’s all of ye” he joked. The group chuckled in response before Lana spoke, “Afraid not, we’re just the farmhands, Caha- _Sophia_ is the new farmer, but something came up, she didn’t want to be rude though so she asked us to come without here, sorry” giving a helpless shrug. Willy easily waved it off, “Ah, nothin’ to worry about, guess the winds wanted to take her elsewhere today, either way, I asked ya to come here cause after some time at the salty seas, I managed to get myself a new rod, so I thought of gifting me old one” he said before bringing out a wooden fishing rod. 

Holding it out to Lana he explained, “I’d like to keep the art of fishing alive, not much of the folks are interested here, but I thought you might” coughing he added, “If not, you could try at least and sell what you catch, if it smells it sells is what my pops used to say.” The trio looked at one another, seeming to communicate with each other. After a moment, Lana took the rod with a word of thanks. Tipping his hat in reply, Willy went back to his fishing. The three then walked to another part of the dock. “So… who wants to try first?” Lana asked and Bee took the rod in response. The girl tried a total of five times before giving up as she only caught trash or algae. While she sulked by leaning against Lana, Markus took his turn. Out of five times, he managed to catch three fish. Bee then switched to leaning on Markus as Lana took her turn. To all of their surprise, she had the best luck; in all her five tries, she managed to catch a fish. “Oh come on!” Bee exclaimed before huffing and crossing her arms. 

Lana could only chuckle at Bee’s reaction, “Beginner’s luck?” she offered. Puffing her cheeks, Bee muttered, “You’re lucky you’re so cute you know that?” and Lana chuckled once more. “Well, for now, it seems like you and I can add fishing to the things we can do here, we can see if Cahaya has any luck once we meet up with her” Markus said and Lana nodded. By the time the three of them returned to the farm, Cahaya had returned and seemed to be reading the guide. “Hey guys! How was it?” she greeted, placing aside the book as they took a seat with her on the porch. The first to speak was Bee who had glomped at Cahaya, “It’s not fair Haya! I did everything right, fishes are dumb” she exclaimed. Cahaya looked at Markus in askance. “Willy gifted us with his old fishing rod and we tried our hand in fishing, Bee… didn’t catch any fish safe to say” he explained and Bee groaned as he said that, digging herself deeper into Cahaya’s side. 

That had Cahaya giggling before she patted Bee in comfort. Lana giggled as well and joined in comforting Bee by rubbing her back. Pulling out the rod, Lana held it out to Cahaya, “Would you like to have a try Cahaya?” she asked. Cahaya pondered it before shaking her head, “I’ll save it for a rainy day, I just want to focus on cleaning the farm and tending to the field at the moment” she responded and Lana nodded. “Anything else happened while you were there?” she asked. The girls shrugged but Markus paused and snapped his fingers, “Actually…” he started, catching their attention. “On the way back here, I happened to catch sight of a building in the upper area of town, I didn’t get a clear view, but it looked pretty run down” he relayed. “A run-down building? Strange, maybe we can ask the mayor about it another time” Cahaya said. With that said, the group decided to have lunch and headed inside. 

After lunch, Markus and Bee moved to clean up more of the land. Since the plants were already watered, Cahaya decided to try her hand at foraging while Lana tried fishing at the lake located in the forest. The moment Cahaya reached a certain side of the forest, she was delighted to find a bundle of spring onions growing about along with some flowers to the side. Humming a happy tune, she plucked away at the plants and stored them away. As she did, once again, she thought she saw a certain light at the corner of her eye. She paused and rubbed her eyes. Perhaps she wasn’t getting enough sleep, as the moment she blinked, the light was gone. Brushing it aside, she continued to search around for other forage items. When she happened to pass by a run-down cabin, she paused and tilted her head at it. There wasn’t much to it so Cahaya passed by the place in the end. It seemed like hours passed by the time she finished searching through the forest. Deciding to take a break, she sought out Lana and soon found her at the dock of the lake. She sat with a sigh of exhaustion just as Lana reeled in another fish. “Guess you have a knack for this, maybe you have some sailor blood in you that you didn’t know about'' Cahaya joked. 

A huff was her only reply as Lana packed away the fish, “Oh haha, at least your hands won’t be stinking of and algae for who knows how long” Lana said. Cahaya patted her in silent comfort, a gesture that she often did with friends and simply chatted with the girl as she fished. Night soon approached and Lana had her fill with fishing. They split what would be shipped or sold and what would be kept between them and soon headed home. When they entered the house, they found dinner waiting for them. Markus had apparently decided to cook some of the fish he caught and try some of the forage items. It was rather refreshing to get a home-cooked meal, small as it may be. Bee grumbled that an oven-baked fish would have been nicer but there was not much they could do. Cahaya and Markus had checked and calculated their savings and it was decided that a kitchen would only be possible at the end of the season or at the latest, the start of summer. 

While disgruntled with the wait, Bee conceded to the plan. She was still skeptical about the whole monthly season change thing but she would wait. For now, she would enjoy her dinner with the rest. As they ate, Markus relayed on how he visited the town to buy some things for their meal and had learned that the old building was apparently the former community center. Other than that, no one was really sure what to make of the building now. “Guess Mayor Lewis is the only one who has the full answers” Cahaya mused and the others agreed. Seeing how they were rather tired from running around, they decided to sleep early once more after shipping everything. 

For the next few days, they seem to fall into a pattern. In the morning after breakfast, Cahaya and Lana would tend to the field while Bee and Markus would clean up and checked for anything around the farm. After lunch, Lana would head out to fish while Bee and Cahaya went to search the town and forest for any forage items. With Markus, he would either join Lana to take turns fishing in different areas or join Bee in running around town. He even decided to take on some requests that were posted by the general store. At one point, while exploring, he found the strange sight of a bundle of worms wiggling on a patch of land. Curious, he carefully dug at it with a hoe and was shocked to discover a text underneath. Though he was highly bewildered, he tucked the book away and decided to tell the others about it later. So far, he seemed more like a jack of trades for the group and worked best with the inventory and bookkeeping. 

By the time Friday rolled in, they all gathered a pretty good haul with their savings. Plus, it was confirmed that Lana’s cat would finally be arriving. With spirits high, Lana eagerly answered the door when she heard a knock. Expecting to see a uniformed male with a cat carrier and packaged cat items, she was confused to find an older woman with two dogs at her side instead. “Uh...hi?” Lana greeted in bafflement and the woman cheerfully greeted back and introduced herself as Marnie. Patting the excitable mutt to her right, she spoke, “Sorry to come here all of a sudden but I found these two wandering not too far from here; I would take them in but unfortunately I got too many animals in my hands already” she rambled, “I hope I’m not imposing but I wondered if you or the others would be willing to take them in? They seem to be a package deal” her eyes wide and hopeful.

Lana scratched her head and looked at the dogs. There were rather adorable to be honest, with the one on the right being a dirty blonde mutt with floppy ears and the other a German Shepherd mix. Some fluffy companions would be nice to have around, and her cat would not be so alone at least. It was lucky that Cocoa was rather sociable at least. Just as she was about to respond, she felt a presence behind her and a voice replied, “We’d love to, do they have names?” Clearly, Markus had a fondness for dogs with how his eyes sparkled at the sight of the canines. Marnie beamed in response, “Oh no, I thought I could leave that to their new owners, and heh, it seems they’ve already chosen one” she said with a giggle as the floppy-eared stray jumped onto Markus with a wildly wagging tail. The tall male simply laughed and enthusiastically patted the dog, cooing at them as he did. 

“Thank you Marnie, should we go to you or the general store for any toys and necessities?” Lana asked as she peered at the other dog that seemed more serious than their counterpoint. Since the beginning of their talk, the canine had barely moved from their sitting position other to yawn or sniff at them. Even when Marnie told of how they were already treated and where to get their necessities, the German Shepherd mix still stood vigilant while their companion familiarized with Markus. When Marnie left, both dogs invited themselves inside and sniffed around. Bee immediately squealed at the sight of them and tried to coax one to her. Before either dog could reach her, Cahaya had stepped out from the bathroom. While the floppy-eared dog perked and went to sniff at Cahaya, the German Shepherd mix sniffed at Bee only to turn away from her and went to inspect Cahaya. 

Though startled at first, Cahaya immediately cooed at them and kneeled to greet them. “When did we get dogs?!” she exclaimed in delight as she held out her hands for them to sniff. Markus joined her on the floor and explained what happened. Petting the floppy-eared mutt that laid on the ground, he chuckled, “I guess it’s official, our friendly canine here decided on me, hm, I think I’ll name this girl Maple, cause she seems so sweet” grinning as he said this. As if accepting the name, the newly named Maple barked and her tail wagged harder. Looking over at the German Shepherd mix that hadn’t left her side and had even licked her hand, Cahaya hummed. She had managed to get a peek and determined the mix as a male. He wasn’t as friendly as Maple but it seemed that he had claimed her with how happy he seemed to be in her presence. “What do you think Bee? Lana? I was thinking of Orion but they’ll be your pets too” she asked. 

Bee grinned and simply said, “Muppet” and both dogs gave a sound as if offended. Bee reacted by giggling madly while Lana shook her head and said, “Well, Bee and I are more cat people Haya, and I think Orion is a great name, I’m sure the big guy agrees.” Cahaya looked over to the dog and tilted her head before testing the name. Immediately, the dog responded to it with a bark and seemed to sit straighter in attention. Cahaya beamed at that and happily petted the dog as a reward. For the next few minutes, the two new dog owners bonded with their respective canines. During that time, Lana heard a knock once more and excitedly answered. Both she and Bee were delighted to find it was the man delivering Cocoa this time. Soon it was a full-on pet bonding session for the group. However, they still had chores and cleaning to do, so for now, Lana and Markus would settle the pets in while Cahaya and Bee tended to the farm. 

They were delighted to find that the parsnips were ready for harvest. With how many there were, it took quite a bit to harvest them all. Cahaya couldn’t help but hum in delight as she looked through their haul and separated what would be sold and kept. To be honest, she was rather apprehensive about how tending to such a large field would turn out but it seems luck was on her side. Her grandfather’s notes did warn of crows though so it was best she began crafting a scarecrow. She could only have so much luck with no crows having targeted her field before this. Resolving on the idea, she had Bee take a few of the parsnips to be sold to Pierre’s before heading in to grab her grandfather’s guide. Inside, Lana and Markus were having Cocoa getting used to Maple and Orion who were rather gentle with the feline. Smiling at the sight, Cahaya paused to pet each of the fluffy beings before grabbing the books and looking through it. Making a scarecrow didn’t seem as hard as she thought, but it would take some work. 

Throughout the day, everyone was abuzz with different things. From doing chores, getting needed items for their new pets, even going out to get some resources and more. They had planned to meet the townspeople for the evening but they forwent it for tending to the field and some bonding time. The moment Cocoa, Maple and Orion were fast asleep, the quartet quickly but quietly got ready for bed and practically threw themselves onto their bed.

* * *

The next morning, Cahaya, to her surprise, found herself the first to wake up, and earlier than usual at that. She then remembered that both Markus and Lana tended to sleep in on weekends. Deciding not to wake any of them, she quietly wiggled out of the pile. The moment she got out, she found Orion had awakened as well and was watching her with a wagging tail. She smiled at this and patted the dog in greeting before grabbing some clothes and heading into the bathroom. Even when she finished getting ready, none of the others had awakened. With Orion at her side, she quietly stepped out to water the new seeds planted as well as the growing ones. By the time she finished watering and cleaning up any messes that cropped up near the field, the sun had well risen into the sky. 

Thinking about it, she was the only one who had not gone into town or met any of the people. She had been so busy overlooking the farm she often forgot about it. Perhaps today was the day. Besides, the curiosity of the rundown building still nagged at her. Making her decision, she quietly led Orion back inside. After quickly writing a note so the other's wouldn't worry, she coaxed Orion into staying and stepped out. There didn’t seem to be much activity when she reached the town, so she might as well check out the building she heard of. Climbing up the stairs, she walked a bit and soon caught sight of the community center. Remembering the tales her grandfather told of the center, it was hard to believe it was the same place with how it looked now. To her surprise, Mayor Lewis was standing at its door, a sad look on his face. It seems like she would be getting answers on the mysterious building sooner than she thought.


	3. Behold: MAGIC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparkle Sparkle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been months, I reached my goal, just... YEET

Cahaya walked up to the Mayor with a called greeting. The man snapped out of his musings with that and smiled at her. “Ah! Good morning Farmer Sophia” he greeted before turning back to the building with a sigh. Stopping by the man’s side, Cahaya tilted her head at the structure, “So… This is the community center Grandpa Harris told me about?” she inquired. If possible, the mayor let out a heavier sigh, “Well, what’s left of it at least” he said, grimacing as he did. “What happened to it?” Cahaya couldn’t help but ask. The last she read of the place, her grandfather lauded it as the jewel of the town with all kinds of activities and socializing having gone in it. A grumpy look crossed the mayor’s face at her question, “The younger generation lost interest in engaging the community, the center lost its use for a lot of people and now they're more interested in their  _ technology,  _ rather than helping out with the place” he huffed. 

Hearing that, Cahaya bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from saying anything. To be honest, all she could hear from the mayor were excuses as he waxed on how Joja wanted the center to build a warehouse but “sentimentality” seemed to hold him back from selling it and getting the money to “help the town”. Apparently, the company only needed a few more memberships and the mayor would agree to the deal. Knowing Markus though, he may have something up his sleeve. She was soon snapped out of her thoughts as the Mayor seemed to have spoken to her. It took her a minute to remember what he said, which was that he wanted to check inside and asked if she wanted to join him, before nodding. Mayor Lewis then took out a key and removed the padlock that had been sealing the building. The moment they entered, Cahaya couldn’t help grimacing on how the inside seemed worse than the outside. 

She paused though, as she spotted what looked like a little hut off to the side. Strange, given how decrepit the rest of the place is. Even the Mayor looked confused at the small structure but waved it off as kids having snuck in and somehow making it. A rather strange assumption to make if you asked Cahaya. The little hut looked far too old to have been made by the kids, plus, there was no indication that anyone had actually snuck in. Just as she was thinking this, she once again saw a light at the corner of her eye. However, this time was different. The moment she looked to see where it came from, the light formed... into an apple? No, Cahaya blinked and was startled to find that the apple in fact was a creature shaped like one. It had little arms and legs and was actually waving while chirping something. Her face must have been a sight as the Mayor looked at her in concern. 

“Is everything alright Farmer Sophia? Is there something there?” he asked, turning to look where Cahaya was staring only for the being to disappear. When the Mayor turned, once again, the little apple being appeared behind him and Cahaya couldn’t prevent the squeak that escaped her. Once again, Lewis turned to look only to find nothing. Then a squeak and some scurrying sounds echoed and Lewis sighed. “Ah, looks like some rats slipped in here, well, not much we can do other than maybe call some people in the future. Oh well, I might as well leave the place unlocked, at the rate this place is going, it may not last much longer; anyway, I’m off to lunch, good day miss” he rambled out, shaking his head as he did. With that, he took his leave while Cahaya rubbed her eyes and wondered if she had seen right. Deciding it was best to return home, she scurried off, never noticing the tiny figures that peeked as she left

The moment she stepped on the farm, she was tackled by Bee. As the two fell on the ground Bee exclaimed, “Haya! Why didn’t you take me with you?!” frantically checking over the girl. Cahaya quickly reassured the other that she had simply gone to check out the run-down building. Even with that, Bee clung to her and stayed close as they stood up. Lana and Markus soon joined them, greeting Cahaya before informing her that a bit more of the farm had been cleared. Then Bee piped that they managed to clear a path around the greenhouse and decided on the name Petey for the scarecrow they had put up. “So what was up with the run-down building?” Markus asked, clearly curious. Cahaya bit her lip as she contemplated telling them what she saw before speaking, “It uh… it was bad, but I… think I saw something, I just need to check…” trailing off as she headed for the farmhouse.

With their curiosities peaked, the others followed after her with Bee close by her side. Once inside, Cahaya briefly greeted the pets before going to look through her grandfather’s chest. It took her a moment to find what she was looking for but she did. A text was soon in her hand and she revealed it to the others. The title was “Magical Secrets of the Valley”, something that had the girls giggling. “Really? Corny much?” Bee snorted and Lana nodded in agreement. Rolling her eyes in response, Cahaya placed the book on the table and began to flip through. Soon enough, she stopped and pointed at a sketch on a page. While the page looked rather faded, the image was clear, “This is what I saw” she told them. She was pointing at one out of three of the apple beings that were sketched playing with a blueberry plant larger than them or carrying a berry. Next to the page was an entry titled, “Junimos” with different passages. The rest peered at the image. Then, Bee spoke, “Why do the apples have faces? It’d be kinda weird to eat them if they can scream, doesn’t mean I ain’t gonna eat apples anymore though”, her words causing the others to stare at her in silent shock. 

Without a word, Cahaya reached over to pinch the girl’s cheek with a murmured, “Silly Bee” before turning back to the page. “Well, at least I wasn’t seeing things, according to this, Junimos are nature spirits of the valley; they mainly ensure that the balance of nature is maintained” Cahaya explained as she read a bit of the passages. Markus peered over her shoulder and hummed as he read, “And you happened to see a few of them in the community center?” he asked. Cahaya nodded in response as she looked through the page, “Yes, which is strange as this says they usually stay around forest areas and out of town” she said. Lana went and peered at the sketch once more, “Well, they’re certainly cute at least” she commented. “Still weird that they’re apples” Bee said with a shrug. Cahaya shook her head at Bee’s silliness before standing and giving a stretch. Then, the sound of a stomach grumbling rang out and Cahaya’s face burst red. Everyone chuckled while Bee reached over to peck the girl’s cheek with a coo of how cute she was.

“Let me head out to buy some food and seeds I forgot, I’m pretty sure you missed breakfast Bluebell, I’ll be right back then we can have some brunch” Markus said and Cahaya nodded in thanks before he took off. While he set off, Lana went off to check the forest for anything and Cahaya decided to check on the field with Bee. So far the crops were looking good and no seeds seemed to be missing. At the moment they had a rather varied field going on. Out of the four of them, Cahaya seemed to have the greenest thumb. Which worked for her as she knew she wouldn’t be able to clean up as fast as either Bee or Markus. Plus, she wasn’t sure if she would be all that good with fishing like Lana. As she thought this, she suddenly felt a wet nose touch her cheek and started. It seems like the dogs had made their escape as Orion sat by her side wagging his tail. Not far off, Maple could be heard barking and running about. She looked around wondering if Cocoa the cat had also wandered out. Sure enough, the orange tabby was lounging on the porch sunbathing. 

Seeing that the plants were doing well, Cahaya decided to go and play with the pups. From what they learned so far, both dogs were mixes that had wandered into the forest. They had no collars or chips but seemed to like people well enough. Overall, they were one of the luckier strays and mostly needed some good TLC. As the two pooches were returning their respective toys, Markus had returned with food. Everyone soon scurried inside to enjoy a warm meal. The moment Cahaya shut the door behind her though, she paused. Tilting her head, a thought then popped up and she turned and called to Markus. With her hand still on the door she asked, “I’ve noticed that you’ve been placing a chair against the door for the past few days before we slept but didn’t last night? Is it some sort of ritual?” she asked the male. Bee paused as she heard that. She then silently went over to the mattresses, picked up a pillow before furiously whacking at Markus with wordless screeches. 

Markus feebly defended himself before Bee paused to and patted the male’s shoulder. Looking resigned, Markus leaned down. Bee then pecked his cheek before smacking him one more time, “Don’t forget again, and fix that dang lock already ya idiot!” she huffed. Tossing the pillow back, she then took a seat to angrily munch at a pizza slice. Markus chuckled and voiced his agreement before joining her at the table. “Wait, is there something wrong with our lock?” Cahaya asked as she joined them and picked up her own slice. She thought the lock was fine, but to be fair, she wasn’t sure about how strong the lock was given that it was a simple knob lock. Thinking of it now though, she couldn’t help but start to feel apprehensive. At her question, Bee smacked the table and exclaimed, “That ain’t no lock, that’s a clicker!” angrily taking a bite as she did. Lana gave a sheepish shrug and said, “Yeah… the lock… isn’t all that great, sorry Haya.” 

Now curious with their words, Cahaya stood to check the door. As she worked the lock and wiggled the doorknob, she grimaced. The knob itself seemed fine, but the lock itself wasn’t as sturdy as it looked. When she fiddled with the lock, Bee gave a hiss at how the lock wiggled with how loose it was. Cahaya then gave a sigh before joining them once more. It seems like there was another thing to add to the list of things that needed to be fixed at the farm. “Don’t worry” Markus reassured, “I got some materials for a new lock and deadbolt being delivered and I’m even learning to make a peephole.” The girls seemed to relax at that. Cahaya couldn’t help but be curious though. Looking at each of them she asked, “What even started the thing with the lock?” tilting her head. Bee hissed once again as Markus responded, “Well it seems like the town has an open-door policy, which well-” only for Bee to interrupt with a screech, “It’s freaky is what it is!” 

Lana went to calm Bee as Cahaya grimaced. She had forgotten that little tidbit. Her grandfather did mention it in one of his letters once, but it slipped her mind. Remembering it now, she could understand that the rest were less than comfortable with the idea of anyone able to come and go into their house. Especially when you put into account where exactly they all lived before this. Reaching over to pat Bee who was grumbling, she reassured, “Well, at least we don’t get a lot of visitors hm?” which mollified Bee slightly. They soon finished their meal and decided to take a break. As Bee and Lana went to relax on the mattresses, Lana pulled out her phone to send some messages. When she did, Cahaya, who had been checking their inventory, asked, “Oh, has the connection been alright so far?” remembering it was one of the things she and Robin talked about.

While the town was located in the mountains, it did not mean they were out of touch. Thanks to Robin’s son, “Sebby”, the town had ample wifi connection. Still didn’t change the fact that they had sparse electricity to spare though, even if the other cabins had sockets they could use. Plus, none felt comfortable just yet to use the cabins. For now they settled for being able to get what they could with their phones. “It’s fine but something’s weird” Lana answered, catching Bee and Markus’ attention, “There are no articles or conspiracy theories regarding the creatures here, not even a crack post” scratching her head as she scrolled through her phone. Pausing from writing, Cahaya went over to look at the phone, and indeed, there were no matching results to Lana’s search. She then grabbed the text she left on the table and flipped through it. After a moment, she found a note at the end of the book. 

It stated that all noted beings and those related in the text were of privileged knowledge. There was no knowing how the general public would react to what the text contained. So, Cahaya’s grandfather and his friends decided to keep the information on the down low. Once reading this note to the others, Lana voiced out, “Well… does this mean we  _ can’t  _ inform people about the magic and stuff in the valley? Cause I mean… There IS crazier stuff out there”, her tone thoughtful. Cahaya shook her head in response, “While that is true, I think they just wanted to be mindful of how the knowledge is handled, for now, we keep it with us and decide what to do in the future” shutting the book as if to affirm her words. With a glint in her eye Bee requested for the book, “I wanna see them monsters in the valley” she said. 

Though she was apprehensive, Cahaya ended up handing over the book. However, the moment Bee tried to open it, something strange happened. The book wouldn’t open. At first, Bee was confused, thinking her hands must be slippery or another. No matter what she did though, the book wouldn’t budge open and she steadily grew angrier. Even chucking the book to the wall did nothing. Seeing that, Bee stomped her foot before glomping Cahaya and exclaiming, “Stupid book!” with a huff. Everyone else blinked in surprise. Lana decided to check if it was a fluke. She got the same result, the book would simply not open. It was as if the thing was glued shut. Markus took a turn and it was the same result. When the book was handed back to Cahaya, everyone raised a brow when she was able to open it easily. “What kind of witchy magical bullshit is this?!” Bee hissed while Cahaya looked through the pages once more. On one page, it was noted that only those of Harris’ line and blessed with the “Green Blessing” could have access to the book. 

Scratching her head, Lana wondered aloud, “So does that mean only you can access the book?” and the others paused in thought. Cahaya gave a shrug, “I guess? For now, let’s just put this away and focus on work, we can just go back to this when needed” she said. With the matter settled for now, the others headed out. Lana decided to head for the mountain lake this time for fishing, while Markus went to check out the town. Apparently, there was a notice board that villagers would post requests on. So far, the group was able to answer one or two with Markus as the delivery man. It certainly helped with getting savings on the side for future expenses. Out of the four of them, Markus seemed to be charming the villagers the most. A rather uneven assumption given that the girls had barely met most of the villagers. Still, Markus was doing highly well in building favor for their group. 

At the moment, Bee was taking out her energy on some weeds and branches that seemed to crop up overnight. What’s more, even with their combined strength, there were still more than a few trees that needed cutting. Not to mention, they still had to deal with the stumps and boulders in the future. After doing some cleaning for the day, the girl’s spent some leisure time with Cahaya reading up more of her Grandfather’s texts and Bee cuddling her while listening to music. By the time the others returned, they did their usual night routine of shipping and inventory before watching a film together via their phones and heading to bed. To think, it was only their first week and things were already looking positive. Cahaya could only hope that things continue that way.

* * *

The next day was another clear and sunny day filled with tending to crops, cleaning the fields and heading out to forage and fish. Today was different though, as Cahaya had decided to check out the community center once more. It was nearing evening and this time she had Bee by her side while the others watched over the farm and their pets. As they entered the building, Bee cringed, “Damn this place be creepy” she murmured. Cahaya hushed her and with Bee clinging to her arm and looking around warily, the two explored. The community center was bigger than they expected. They started downstairs with the boiler room and found only broken stone and a broken down boiler. Honestly there were a lot of broken things to be found. At one point, Bee decided to be silly and play around the hut. Cahaya was quick to pull her out when she attempted to crawl into it. Just as they were passing another room, Cahaya saw something sparkle and paused. Entering the room she stared at the golden scroll laid on the flow. When Bee spotted it, her eyes sparkled, “Treasure?!” and slid to the floor to inspect the scroll. 

No matter how hard she tried though, the scroll would not budge. “Great! More magicky bullshit to deal with!” she grunted before going back to Cahaya’s side. Chuckling at Bee’s antics, Cahaya went to inspect the scroll. It was certainly gold, with a strange inscription to boot. There was no way either of them would be able to translate it though, so she took out her phone and took a picture. The two decided to explore a bit more before heading back home for lunch. It was a cooked meal of fish and wild vegetables once more. When lunch was done, Bee slumped onto the table, “Do ya guys think we’re doin' the same thing over and over now? I mean, is there anything  _ exciting  _ to do here? No offense Haya” Bee said. Cahaya shrugged in response, “It’s fine, I understand what you mean, if you’d like, I have a few things we can learn to build from Grandpa’s journal, I’m sure you’d be interested in a bee house to make honey” her words perking the girl up.

“I’m sure given more time, we’ll have more to do around here Bee” Lana added in. Markus, who had started calculating their expenses said, “Plus, we’re going steady with our savings and if we do well in gathering enough wood and stone to save, we can get a coop.” They all perked at that; the idea of having some animals to care for and have food provided from them would be nice. The group finished cleaning up and checking things before having a play session with the dogs and cat. So far it seemed like the trio of animals were getting along and many photos have already been captured of them being adorable together. The dogs and cats soon deemed to have had enough playtime and ran off together, giving enough time for the others to do more chores. 

While Markus was out and about in town, he happened to check on the board and saw that it was Mayor Lewis’ birthday today. The group didn’t have the best impression of the man, (Bee having just about marked the man for a grudge)  _ he  _ didn’t have to know that. Taking a quick trip back home, he rummaged through their storage and managed to find a small packet of butter biscuits that were still good. Snagging a ribbon and writing an albeit messy note that said it was from all of them, he ran back to town. It didn’t take long for him to find the man and hand the gift. Bearing the niceties of the social exchange, Markus soon made his escape to go buy some fertilizer at the store. He paused as he stepped out the door; spotting a fairly short man in a black suit running about was rather odd. 

Especially given the scheming look that adorned his face. Sneakily following after the man, he watched as what he now discerned as a Joja clerk inspected the community center. He was taking photos and writing in a notepad before giving a devious grin. Markus, quickly getting an idea on what the man was doing, made his exit and returned to the farm. When he told the girls of what he’s been up to in town, Bee huffed. Leaning against her axe she grunted, “Should have just given him a lump of clay.” Markus gave a chuckle at that before retorting, “Well, he is still the Mayor and since you lot don’t know the villagers that well, it’s best that we leave a good impression on the one we do know, you’re just lucky my charm has been keeping our rep on the high” smirking at them. Cahaya snorted at that and lightly bumped her hip against Markus, “Always have to be the charmer of the group don’t you?” she teased and got an unrepentant shrug in response. While the girls giggled, Markus thought it was best to keep the little tidbit about the clerk to himself for now. No need to worry the girls with something that he could handle just fine.

* * *

Sunday came and went and Monday arrived with another clear sunny day. As Cahaya went to check their shipping bin, she paused as she saw they had mail. Thinking it was simply a request, she opened the mailbox and pulled out what was inside. She blinked in surprise as she gazed at the dark envelope. The moment she pulled out the glowing letter, she felt the familiar weight of Bee behind her, “What’s up with the sparkly letter?” she asked. Quickly reading through it, Cahaya gave a hum, “Mr. Rasmodius seems to have found out about my little visit at the community center and wants to discuss what I may have seen, and before you ask, yes, he can be a rather nosy man who likes to know everything going on in town” she said as Bee opened her mouth before clicking it shut. “Creepy” she muttered before asking, “You gonna go meet him?” poking at the letter with narrowed eyes.   
  
“It would only be polite, while I haven’t been in contact with Uncle Rasmodius in a good while, he IS still considered family” Cahaya responded with a nod. Bee raised a brow at that, “What, the guy had a thing with your grandpa and is basically your uncle?” snorting at the thought. Cahaya cried the other’s name in disbelief before lightly smacking the giggling girl’s arm. After a small bout of play fighting between the two, Cahaya kept the letter away and began to make her way down to the south path of the farm. As she did she called back, “I’ll make sure to tell you all that happened once I come back” only to be blocked by Bee. 

“I’m comin’ with”

“Bee I’ll be fine, he’s a friend of Grandpa’s”

“Nope”

“Really now Bee, you’re being-”

“Nadah”

“Bee-”

“Imma say it in Spanish,  _ no _ ”

Cahaya slumped in resignation at that and nodded. With a whoop of triumph, Bee moved to her side and looped their arms together. Meeting Lana on their way out, they told her where they were heading, then soon headed for the forest. The nearer they went, the more nervous Cahaya couldn’t help but feel. She didn’t really know Rasmodius that well and she rarely communicated with him over the years outside of a few letters and such. Grandpa often spoke of how he was a loner and for all intents and purposes a hermit. Rasmodius was not a bad soul though, just someone who got immensely immersed in his works, so there was that. As they neared the steps of the tower, Bee suddenly faltered next to her. “What the fuck?” she muttered, trying to put her foot on a step only to falter. It was as if there was something blocking her.

Looking from Bee to the door of the tower, Cahaya tilted her head and came to a realization. She grasped at Bee’s shoulder to stop her from fighting with what seemed to be a barrier, “I think he wants for me to go in alone” she told her. At that, Bee gave an incredulous look, “Oh hell naw!” she exclaimed before kicking at the barrier. The moment it looked like she was about to tackle the barrier, Cahaya pulled her away. The second she held the other girl, Bee slumped with a pout, “I’ll be fine Bee, trust me” she reassured. The two stared into one another’s eyes before Bee relented and sat on the ground with angry grumbling. Offering the girl a gentle smile, Cahaya went up the steps and nervously knocked on the door. For a moment, it was silent; then, the door creaked open. 

Cahaya stepped inside and the door shut with a creak and a thud behind her. As she looked around, she couldn’t help but marvel at the fantasy setting. From the giant bubbling cauldron to the strange symbol on the ground, the entire room looked straight out of book. She found herself snapping out of her admiration when she heard a throat cleared. Flushing lightly, she turned to the wizard who stood in the middle of the room. He looked like he had barely changed from his photos, the longer beard plus age lines being his only notable sign he had aged. Fidgeting slightly, Cahaya gave a slight curtsey and murmured, “Hello, Mr. Rasmodius”. Rasmodius nodded in response, “Hello child, it gladdens me to see you well, I have received your… gift, thank you” he said with a cough. 

Hearing that, Cahaya gave a smile. Grandpa Harris DID say that the wizard could be rather awkward. “You’re welcome, I’m glad you were able to enjoy it, did you ask to meet me because of what I saw in the community center? The Junimos, am I right?” she asked and the wizard gave a look of surprise. After a moment he gave a nod of understanding, “Ah, I see, I’m glad to see that your grandfather’s journals are serving you well, yes, it seems that the junimos have gained an interest in the center, and you as well” he said. Cahaya pointed at herself in surprise, “An interest in me? Why?” The wizard hummed, “I believe it may be due to you having the same Green Blessing that your grandfather had” he mused. The response only served to confuse her more as she repeated, “Green Blessing?” in bewilderment. 

Rasmodius waved it off, “A small magical blessing from another time, it mainly has the blessed have a better relation to nature and an innate ability to see nature beings like the junimos” he explained flippantly. Cahaya wasn’t sure how to respond with that. Then, she remembered what she and Bee found in the community center. “Actually sir, we did find something in the community center, I think it’s from the junimos” she said before describing the golden scroll, going as far as showing him the picture. Rasmodius hummed at that before stating, “Stay here as I go confirm this” then disappearing in a swirl of light. Startled, Cahaya couldn’t do much but wait. 

Meanwhile, on the outside, Bee was tinkering with her phone when suddenly, a swirl of light appeared at the entrance of the tower. She flailed and swore as she saw it happen before shaking a fist at the back of the man that appeared and screeched, “Fucking Wizard! Take your showing off elsewhere!” before getting back to her phone with a grunt. On Cahaya’s end, she started as the wizard returned by entering through the front door. “I found the note,” he said as he entered, “The language is obscure but I was able to translate it.” He then recited on how Junimos would happily give aid and only asked in return were gifts from the valley. What’s more, only those that were one with the forest would be able to see the true nature of the scroll. As he finished reciting, he moved over to the large cauldron and mused on the meaning. 

The moment he sniffed at the concoction brewing in the cauldron, he seemed to have an epiphany. He excitedly called her over and explained he had been brewing a potion including all kinds of ingredients from the forest. Apparently he believed that this was what the Junimos meant and urged her to drink a cup of the ‘potion’. Though Cahaya was apprehensive about this, she found no reason not to trust the man. “For grandpa” she declared in her mind before chugging down the drunk. The moment she finished it, she grimaced at the strange taste. It was like a meld of bitterness and earthiness. Suddenly, the edges of her vision began to turn green as visions of trees, lakes, and other scenes of nature filled her vision. It lasted for a quick moment before she could see properly again. When she did, she saw Rasmodius had hesitantly reached out his hand in worry only to pause as he saw her looking at him and retreating with a cough. 

He looked away and stated, “You should now be able to read the scroll that the junimos have left, do not worry, you will feel no adverse effects until we meet again, young one” then dismissing her in the end. Just as Cahaya was about to step out the door when she paused, “If you’d like… It’d be nice if we could tea sometime, I’d like to hear the stories Grandpa Harris wasn’t able to tell through our letters or calls…” she offered shyly. A beat passed between them before he gruffly responded, “I… wouldn’t be averse to that… I shall contact you when it is feasible.” Brightening at that, Cahaya thanked him before excusing herself and stepped out the door. The second she stepped down the stairs, she was just about tackled by Bee. Just as the other girl pulled back and opened her mouth to ask questions, she froze. Without warning, she grabbed Cahaya’s hand and practically had them sprinting back to the farm.

With the farmhouse in sight, Bee then screeched, “MARKUS GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE, THE FUCKING WIZARD DID SOME MAGICKY BULLSHIT ON HAYA” while seeking out their companions. From inside the farmhouse, Markus stepped out with a look of confusion. Upon seeing Bee and Cahaya, he paused and quickly moved to the side to let them in. As he did, Bee rushed them both inside and just about tossed Cahaya to a chair. Markus cautiously went near Cahaya and asked, “Uh… Bluebell? Do you know by any chance that your eyes are glowing green?” while Bee wailed, “My baby’s turning green!!!” in the background. Cahaya blinked in surprise at that and touched the corner of her eye, “Are they? I feel nothing wrong, and I can see everything just fine…” she mused. “She’s turning greeeeen!!! The fucking wizard turned her into a teeny Hulk girl!” Bee wailed louder and Lana snorted. While Lana initially giggled at Bee’s antics, she moved closer to Cahaya in worry as she saw the green glow. 

Tentatively reaching out her hand, she asked, “Are you sure you’re not feeling anything Haya?” hovering around the girl. The girl shook her head in response, “I feel fine, and Bee! Calm down, I’m not turning green” she called over to the shrieking girl. In response, Bee simply draped herself over Cahaya while Markus examined her. He hummed and said, “Well, it looks like the glow died down, now it just looks like your eyes got a green tint to them, if you’re not feeling anything, the best we can do is monitor you while you do chores” nodding as he said this. Bee straightened at this and her eyes narrowed before she tightened her grip on Cahaya who nodded in assent. With that and some head pats for the girl, Markus and Lana headed out. Bee gave a dissatisfied sound and laid her chin on Cahaya’s shoulder. Patting her head, Cahaya told her, “I AM fine Bee, honest” but Bee would not let up.

For the rest of the day, she basically stuck to Cahaya like glue. No matter if it was checking on the crops or making fertilizer, Bee would not let the girl out of sight. Just as Cahaya was going to help in cleaning up, Bee stopped her, insisting that she rested after her chores were done. Even when Cahaya protested, Bee would not hear it, going as far as hauling the girl over her shoulder and forcing her to sit on the porch before dropping Cocoa on the girl’s lap. “Universal Cat Law” she declared before walking off. Cahaya gives a sigh before relenting. After giving a disgruntled sound, the feline happily settled on Cahaya’s lap, and soon Cahaya was relaxing and playing with the pets till dinner time. Just as they were getting ready for bed, Bee ordered Cahaya to get some rest for the next day and that they would handle her chores. Before Cahaya could argue, Markus and Lana voiced their agreements. Clearly outvoted, Cahaya had no choice but to agree. However, she did manage to negotiate on being the one to check for any mail the next day.

When the next day arrived, Cahaya was surprised to find that there was indeed mail waiting for her. It was a single envelope and it seemed like it was from… Joja Inc.? A strange thing given that the group had little to no contact with that company. Pulling out the letter, Cahaya quickly read through it and gave a sound of surprise. It seems that the blockage to the Adventurer’s Guild and Mines were caused by their “drilling operation” and after “much work”, the landslide was now cleared. The first few lines had Cahaya’s brow raised as she reread the letter once more. For a company with a supposed large influence, they certainly weren’t leaving a positive impression. It certainly explained the scheming look Markus had when he mentioned the company. While he seemed like a friendly giant, he could be an outright snake when it came to dishing out shady companies. Giving a wry grin at the thought, Cahaya then called the attention of the others. 

The moment she spoke about the mines being open, Bee perked up like a dog hearing they would be getting a treat. Before Cahaya could even finish reading the letter out loud, Bee had shot off like a rocket. The last thing they saw was the girl running to the north path, the echo of “TREASUUUUUREEE” echoing in the air.

* * *

Bee excitedly ran through the north path with a pickaxe at a ready. Throughout her run, the chant of “Treasure” ran through her mind. Sure, she didn’t mind the farmwork, it did help keep certain stuff from her mind, still though,  _ treasure.  _ With hype coursing through her, she skipped over the small wooden bridge and stepped through the entrance. Just as she was about to head for the hole with a ladder, she paused at the sight of someone inspecting it. It looked like an older male with a short cloak and an eyepatch. As he stepped back from his examination, Bee gave a shout and pointed at the man. “Hey! You’re one of cutie’s Grandpa’s friends! Uh… Marvin?” she cried out before tapping her lip as she guessed the name. The male gave a grunt, “Marlon” he gruffly corrected her as he dusted himself off. He seemed to appraise Bee before asking, “You one of the newcomers?” and Bee nodded. Gesturing to the hole she asked, “Any treasure down there?” and Marlon gave a shrug.    
  
“Not too sure, been years since anyone really went down there, with the elevator down, I can’t do much, and Gin’s isn’t as spry as he used to be,” he said with a sigh. The moment he finished speaking, Bee raised her hand high and practically yelled, “I volunteer as tribute!” jumping in enthusiasm as she did. Marlon raised a brow at her and asked, “ _ You  _ want to go down there?” eyeing her in skepticism. Dressed in a black off-shoulder shirt and faded jeans, Bee did look rather casual. She immediately bristled at the comment and hissed, “Don’t make me toss you into the lake peg leg” her comment making Marlon give a bark of laughter. Placing his hands on his hips Marlon declared, “I see you’ve got the spirit lass! Alright, if you’re determined to head down there, best take this” taking out an old looking sword and holding it out to her. Eyes sparkling with wonder, Bee took the sword and gave an experimental swing. Marlon gave a nod of approval before wishing her luck and heading out the mines. 

Bee then pulled out her phone and turned on the camera. She gave a short vid where she gave a dramatic bit of her being the first to enter the mines in years. Once she finished and sent it to Cahaya, she climbed down the ladder. As she reached the first level she gave a small disappointed sound when she only saw a bunch of rocks. Pouting heavily, Bee began to pick at the stones. The moment she struck a certain stone though, she paused as a few bronze stones popping out. Picking one up she narrowed her eyes at it, “You better be treasure” she murmured before making a short vid of what she found. It took a bit but she soon found the ladder to the next level and gave a cheer. She took another short vid of her small victory and sent it to Cahaya before heading down. Admiring the glow stones that lit the floor for a moment, she then took in the new floor. At first, it didn’t seem that much different from the last one. That is until she spotted something… bouncing?

Moving closer, Bee gave a small gasp of delight as she got a clear view of the bouncing thing. It looked like a blob of bright green jello with little eyes and an antenna to boot. Quickly taking out her phone, she began to film. “Oh my god Haya, look what I found in the mines, it’s so  _ cute. It’s a bouncin’ jello!  _ Imma try an’ adopt it, come ‘ere squishy!” she squealed as she moved closer to get in contact with the creature. The moment she did however, the creature paused. It seemed to access her, then, without warning, it tackled her. Bee gave a cry of shock as it did, exclaiming, “Ah! Squishy attacked me! Mean Squishy!” filming the whole experience all the while. The hit hurt but it wasn’t enough to knock Bee down. For a moment, the two seemed to have a stare-off. Then, before Bee could even do anything, the creature struck once more. This time it left a harder impact, essentially coating Bee in its sticky residue. When it did, Bee gave a screech. Try as she might she could barely move. A stream of swears escaped her as she flailed and tried to get the residue off. After what felt like forever, Bee felt like she could move again. 

“So…” she started, growling as she drew her sword, “ _ You have chosen death _ .” A war cry then echoed through the level as Bee struck at the creature. While Bee was clumsy in her strikes as she was filming the whole thing, she managed to get a few good hits. Soon enough, the creature was reduced to a lifeless blob of goo which Bee zoomed in on. Giving a noise of disgust, she then sent the update and moved on. Her mood improved as she managed to find a few more of the bronze stones and the next ladder. When she reached the next level, she paused as her eyes caught something shining from the light. Scrambling over to it, she picked up the stone stating reverently, “SHAINY” as she inspected it. The stone was medium in size and looked like it had different shards of shining silver crystals jutting all about. Checking to see if it was as sharp as it looked, Bee gave a sigh of relief as she found no harm came from poking at the crystals. “You  _ look  _ like treasure” she murmured before making a quick video to update Cahaya and packing away the gem. 

From there she got into the rhythm of seeking out stones with shiny rocks or anything similar lying about as she went further down. Every once in a while she would send a video update to Cahaya to reassure her that she was okay. Other times she would screech and video her encounters with other slimes and new bug monsters. At one point she decided to use some of the pouches and jars in the pack to gather the monster remnants, “For Science!” she said to the camera though she made sounds of disgust all the while. She didn’t know how long she was in the mines and she really didn’t care to check the time on her phone. Besides, Cahaya knew how she was doing. Everything would be  _ fine.  _

* * *

When Bee had gone off to explore the mines, Cahaya had paused as she realized what the mines being open meant. It also meant that the path to the adventurer’s guild was open as well. She did hope that Marlon enjoyed the gift. Grandfather had said he was one of the more outgoing of the trio and over the years, he did call once in a while and sent some lovely stones for her crafts. With that thought, she made her decision to check on him. Informing her friends of her wish to meet Marlon and asking who would like to accompany her, Markus was all too happy to accept. Lana on the other hand opted to stay behind. Apparently, she too caught on the idea of Joja up to something with the town and wanted to write down some article ideas. Plus, she was planning to call her siblings to catch up as well. After a whole week of exploring the town and hearing all kinds of things that went on plus how the state of things was, they had a LOT to talk about. 

Promising to be back by lunch, Cahaya and Markus then headed off. On the way, Markus asked, “ So Bee gave an interesting thought last night… WAS your grandpa and the wizard a thing back then?” his question having resulted in Cahaya stumbling before Markus caught her with a snicker. Blowing a loose strand from her face, Cahaya gave a pout at Markus, “Not you too! They were friends! I’m sure they were just close” she huffed. Markus raised a brow in skepticism before shrugging and deciding to drop the matter for now. It didn’t take long for the duo to reach the Adventurer’s Guild. “Remind me again, why does a town with less than fifty people have a guild?” Markus asked as they stood outside the building. Cahaya paused before tapping at her forehead as if trying to bring out the memory. She then gave a small ‘aha’ sound before explaining, “It was actually established in olden times as a center for the miners. That was before they encountered the supernatural side of the valley and decided to change the name to fit their new roles. Over the years they ended up as pseudo guards over the mines and protected people of the valley from any creatures that might have escaped.” 

Looking from the entrance of the mines to the guild, Markus hummed, “Let me guess, people ended up forgetting about the monsters in the mines and the guild remained to keep it that way?” he tossed out and Cahaya nodded. The story seemed like it was something meant for a fantasy book. If it wasn’t for the notes her Grandfather had left plus the photos saved, Cahaya would have been hard-pressed to believe it herself. Shaking the thoughts away, Cahaya raised her hand to knock on the door. The two waited for a moment before the door opened to reveal the man Cahaya had met by the lake a few days ago. “Hello sir” she greeted, “Is Mr. Marlon in? I’m…” before she was interrupted by the man stating, “No need for formalities lass, we know who yer, come on in” before moving aside to let them in. Exchanging a look, the duo gave a shrug before stepping into the building. 

The moment they did, a voice exclaimed, “Well I’ll be damned” before Marlon moved closer to meet with them. He gave them both a once over and chuckled, “I heard Harris had family taking over the farm along with some friends of theirs but I didn’t think it’d be you starlight” he said as he patted her shoulder in greeting. “Just look at ya’, practically a lady now, still a tiny thing though,” he said, ruffling her hair in a familial manner as Cahaya blushed in embarrassment. With her head bowed slightly from his hair ruffling Cahaya murmured, “Hi Mr. Marlon” in greeting. Upon hearing that, Marlon gave a guffaw, “None of that now lass! What happened to good ol’ Uncle Marlon hm? Always chanted it whenever I visited you as a kid” he teased. She puffed her cheeks at him, “You always loved to tease me Uncle Marlon” she grumbled, eliciting a laugh from both Marlon and Markus. 

Turning his attention to Markus, Marlon gave the taller male a once over, “So this your boyfriend? Kind of a mismatch don’t you think?” his words resulting in the two choking on air. “Uncle Marlon no!” Cahaya exclaimed as she coughed for breath, “This is Markus, and he may as well be a brother!” Markus nodding along to her words. Marlon eyed them speculatively before giving a shrug and asking, “So what brings you to my neck of the woods hm?”. Cahaya opened her mouth before fidgeting with her hands, “I um… well… it’s been a good while since we communicated with one another and…” she mumbled only to be interrupted by the man ruffling her hair once more. “You wanted to see if any of the beasts got to me huh? Don’t you worry, I may have lost my leg to one of them a few years ago but there’s still strength to these old muscles,” he said, lifting an arm to jokingly pat at his bicep. He then gently patted Cahaya’s cheek with a smile, “Always the worrywart aren’t you starlight? Should have known that didn’t change with that little gift of yours” he stated, his tone warm. Suddenly the gruff voice of Gil rang out, stating, “Well, you lot gonna stand there all day or ya gonna join us for lunch? Pretty sure that wily friend of yours ain’t coming out of the mines till evening” standing by a door that seemed to lead to another room. 

Markus spoke for them, informing the two males that they promised to be back home for lunch. Marlon seemed disappointed at that but understood and insisted that Cahaya come visit once in a while. “Since you’ve been worryin’ so much about me, it’s only right that I get to worry about you as well lass, take care now,” he said as he escorted them out. After saying their goodbyes, the two were soon heading back to the farm; on the way, Markus commented, “Well he seemed like a jolly fellow, and hey, at least neither of us left glowing green.” A snort escaped Cahaya before she lightly slapped the other’s hip. Suddenly, she paused to stare at something. Following her line of sight, Markus gave an irritated sound. It was a huge blockade of sorts that the two were staring at. Looking to be made of blue tarps and different poles, it was a surprise that neither of them had pointed it out earlier. When they moved closer to it, they managed to read out the message from Joja Inc. Apparently, the company was hoping to do business with this area of the town and thus it would be closed until everything was settled. 

Another irritated sound escaped Markus, this time, it was the sound of his teeth kissing his lips. Tapping the memo he stated, “They’re like parasites, latching onto anything that may benefit them in this town; a rather cliche thing” a sardonic grin then crossed his lips, “But it certainly makes it easier to deal with them in the future” his eyes holding a devilish glint to them. “Some days I wonder how people get tricked by that smile of yours, and then I remember who your grandfather is” Cahaya said. Placing a hand on his chest in mock innocence, Markus replies in a sotto voice, “Whatever do you mean?” going as far as to give puppy dog eyes as he did. Cahaya burst into giggles at that, “Sir I know not to be fooled by you” she huffed before checking her watch. Skipping a few steps ahead she called back, “You somehow managed to connect to all kinds of people in the city that can deliver here; whatever schemes you got cooking in that brain of yours, do try not to destroy too much.” 

Markus simply gave his usual sunny grin at that. The two soon reached home with Lana having heated up lunch for them. While eating lunch, the trio entertained themselves by checking out the videos that Bee was sending in her journey through the mines. Lana nearly spat out her drink as she saw the encounter with the creature. A quick perusal of her grandfather’s books identified the creature as a slime. The notes compared the thing to a recurring pest of the mines that, after a few experiments, could be raised in the farm for some materials. Upon reading that to the others, a unanimous vote was made to have no slimes whatsoever would be brought to the farm, no matter the safety measures Harris made. Once a message was sent to Bee on the vote, they finished their lunch and headed off for their own activities. For today, Cahaya decided to join Lana in testing out the lake in the upper area of the town and searched for any forage items that were of higher quality. Passing by the broken bridge that made her sigh, she gave a smile upon finding a fairly large horseradish before rounding around for the lake. 

As she passed the entrance to the mine, she peeked in just in time to see the elevator bulb light up. Looks like Bee was doing fine and even managed to have the mine elevators working again. Checking the time, she saw that it was slowly approaching evening and decided to go forage in the forest. She informed Lana of this and soon set off. By the time she had a good batch stored into her bag along with some stray wood and stone she had stumbled across, she took a break to visit the wizard. The door opened by itself as she knocked and she saw that the wizard was in the middle of looking through a text. He absentmindedly greeted her before telling her, “Please tell your friend to be more careful in her bulldozing through the mines, I didn’t help put those protection wards and runes for your reckless friend to wreck things” huffing in disgruntlement. Cahaya couldn’t help but bow slightly in apology as she responded, “She can be rather… excitable, Uncle Rasmodius, but I’ll make sure to tell her.” When he nodded in acknowledgement, Cahaya gave a silent sigh of relief before taking out one of grandfather’s journals. She remembered she had decided to visit to question a few things regarding the beings in the valley. The two looked over the journal and seemed to discuss for hours before Cahaya had to leave for dinner. 

Leaving with a wave and quick word of thanks, Cahaya quickly dashed home. A lovely spread of salad, bread with cheese, and maki rolls waited for at home. While they ate though, Cahaya kept checking her phone and grew more worried as she saw no message of Bee heading home. Rather, there were more updates on her antics in the mines including the latest video of her gathering monster remains with whines of disgust. Even after dinner, there was no sign of her heading back home. An hour passed and they were all ready to head for bed. At that point, Cahaya simply called, “Markus, if you could please” and the male nodded, stating, “Roger” before heading out. It took him about 20 minutes to reach the mines via a quick jog and with a quick check at the elevator, he saw that there was now a way to the 10th level. The elevator trip was fairly quick and Markus was soon stepping out onto the 10th level. Walking around and avoiding a few stray slimes, he listened for signs of Bee. It didn’t take long for him to hear the sound of her picking away at a stone. Catching her unawares, Markus soon had the girl over his soldier with her screeching and smacking at his arm. 

“Time to head home and  _ eat a proper meal you ball of chaos”  _ he grunted as they headed for the elevator. Bee continued to squirm as she whined, “I was so close to finding the next level and I did eat you stupid giant!” Markus snorted at that and argued, “Snacks don’t count you banana head!” before the two dissolved into heated bickering with insults flying back and forth. They ranged from silly things like “Gem Head” to outright swears. By the time the two reached home, they were panting in exhaustion from the rush of barbs they exchanged. Once Markus closed the door behind them, he dumped Bee on the ground. Before she could utter a swear at the taller male, Cahaya rushed to her side and fussed over her. Seeing how worried her friend was over her being so late, Bee’s jaw clicked shut before she switched to reassuring Cahaya that she was fine and just needed a good hot shower to remove any gunk from her. Cahaya then stated, “I think I still have some of that vanilla body wash you like stashed away, give me a sec to get it” and scurried outside. The others looked at one another before chuckling in amusement over the fussiness of their friend. When Cahaya returned with the bottle of body wash, Bee was quick to jump into the shower. 

While Bee was cleaning up, Lana went to heat up the girl’s portion of dinner and Cahaya cleaned up the table. Markus meanwhile, went to warm up by the fireplace as the night was cold and the mines did not help. Bee soon came out of the bathroom with steam following after her. The moment she saw her meal on the table, she all but jumped into a chair and dug in. Between swallowing a bite and taking a sip of water, she would regale them on what she was not able to get on video and showed what she managed to loot. Upon showing the bronze stones she gathered first, Cahaya lit up and explained that it was a copper ore and if they managed to build a forge, they could make copper bars to help pay in upgrading their tools. Markus shuffled over and peered at the stones. Giving a thoughtful sound he said, “I can visit Clint tomorrow and check out what he has to offer for tool upgrades” which made the other girls happy. “It would certainly be nice to have a watering crop that could cover more than a few plots a time” Cahaya mused out loud. Bee nodded and voiced her own excitement over having a stronger and faster pickaxe to handle. Lana on other hand suggested that they wait until Markus checked out the prices before they made any decisions. An agreement made, the group then got ready for bed and were soon out like a light. 

The next day, Markus decided to head off to the Clint’s to ask about the ores. The blacksmith was only too happy to pass on blueprints for a furnace they could use at the farm. In exchange, anything made from it could be used in a deal to upgrade their tools. Tucking the blueprints away and taking note of the prices for upgrades and such, Markus concluded his business and headed off. Taking some time to visit the saloon to check out any specials and chat up with Gus on anything new with the town. Feeling a little mischievous, Markus had been giving some offhand comments about the girls to different people. Now all kinds of rumors and speculations were circulating around about them. A particular favorite of his was that Cahaya was a runaway actress that wanted to take a break in the countryside. Another was that Lana and Bee were a pair of star-crossed lovers that ran off in search of a place to be accepted. More than a few of these had Bee cackling when he told her about them. From what he heard people saying about him, there seemed to be speculation going on that he was a secret rich heir trying to go head to head with Joja. It was amazing what the people came up within this town. 

After snagging today’s special dish of sashimi, he headed home to prepare the girls’ lunch. He sincerely hoped that he managed to snag a few good deliveries from the city soon. There was only so much bread, veggie, and fish dishes the group could enjoy for lunch before they needed something new. Nothing against Gus but they did miss some of their dishes from home and Markus along with Bee missed making their own meals. With crops and cleanup going well, they would be able to save enough to purchase the house upgrade Robin had offered. It was a rather reasonable price all considering and it helped get rid of any excess stone and wood that they gathered. On that note, he reminded himself to go visit the forest after lunch. They were running low on wood as they built fences around the crops to keep the pets out. It was only their second week in and already the crops were showing some healthy-looking sprouts. Perhaps there really was something to Cahaya’s whole “green blessing” thing. She certainly seemed to have a certain glow about her when she was farming. More than once he thought he saw one or two balls of light bouncing around her as she tended to the crops. 

It was strange that they seemed to be asking Cahaya of all people to do something for them. From what the text stated, they were one of the oldest beings in the land and could have chosen some other villager to help them. Considering their shy nature and the fact that the villagers had little belief in the supernatural plus they had their own businesses to take care of, it did make sense. Plus, given the history with Cahaya’s grandpa, it was reasonable of them to turn to the girl. He couldn’t help but be curious about what the nature beings had to offer them.

* * *

Once evening arrived and Cahaya made sure that Bee was doing alright in the mines via messaging and videos, she decided to check on the community center. Curious about the center herself, Lana volunteered to go with her. Seeing how dark it already was out, they took an electric lantern with them and headed off. The moment she saw the state of the building, she huffed, “I’m starting to wonder if that Mayor really cares about this town at all” disappointment and annoyance clear in her tone. “We’re just lucky that the place hasn’t collapsed in on itself, come on, the scroll’s over here” Cahaya said before directing the girl over to the room holding the scroll. Just as the wizard said, when Cahaya looked at the scroll now, she was able to read it. To further confirm that only she could read the thing, she heard Lana asking how she could understand the thing. “The wizard helped me, also, it seems the junimos are mainly asking for things that can be found around the valley. It looks like we get rewards if we complete certain bundles. Lana, would you mind listing down the things I’m going to recite please” she stated and Lana nodded. Bringing out a notepad, Lana quickly jotted everything Cahaya recited. 

It didn’t long for them to finish their business at the community center and the two girls got ready to head home. Just as they were stepping out, Cahaya heard a chirp and looked back. She saw two junimos peeking out from their hut, shyly waving, giving and other soft sounds as if they were wishing her luck. Giving a soft smile and mouthing her thanks at them, she then headed home with Lana. Tonight’s dinner was apparently a breakfast meal as there was a special for a breakfast meal. Bee seemed more than happy with it given her humming as she wolfed down

some hash browns. When they finished their meal and were cleaning away everything, Markus asked, “So what did you find with the scroll?” He was rather curious on what exactly the Junimos wanted with Cahaya. Hearing that they were asking for things that could be gathered around the town had Bee and Markus raising their brows. “Can’t the little guys get em’ by themselves?” Bee asked, brows furrowed in confusion. Lana, who was looking through the notes she made and said, “Well apparently, they want to do some sort of trade. Seems like if we complete all these bundles, we’ll get a repair from them on stuff like the bridge and bus.” 

Markus and Bee were even more skeptical at hearing that but decided to shrug it off. Given what they’ve encountered so far in the town, they learned to expect some things were weird in this region. They soon got ready for bed and were out like a light… Only they were not. No matter how much she tossed and turned, Cahaya found herself unable to sleep properly. It didn’t help that she also had a nightmare at one point in the night. Carefully scooching out of the nest, she checked the time and saw that it was nearing 11 p.m. They had gone to bed around 8 p.m. as most had finished everything they had planned for the day and did not feel like staying up. Usually they slept later than that due to Bee exploring the mines till late. However, Bee had decided to stay around to check on the making of the forge and bee house for today. She seemed fascinated with the making of the bronze bars and even went as far as to sit in front of the forge to watch it work. 

Remembering that had Cahaya giggle. Bee always seemed to find a way to make her smile or laugh; maybe that’s why they managed to become sisters so fast. As she thought this, Cahaya went over to the text she left over the table and opened to the Junimos page. Even she was curious on why exactly the beings were asking to trade with her and was wondering if it was even a real deal. The thought niggled at her mind and ended up rousing her curiosity. As she was looking at the text, she heard a soft whine and looked down to see Orion gently butting his snout against her leg. Cahaya smiled at the pooch and gently shushed them while petting them. Not wanting to disturb the others and knowing that she wouldn’t be able to sleep even with a hot drink to help, she made up her mind. She looked through the inventory and pulled out the season wild plants that were listed in the request. Packing them away, she went and got herself a thick sweater to wear over her sleepwear. She was soon ready to head out with plants packed away and an electric lantern in hand, she carefully crept out with Orion by her side. 

She knew it was odd to be wandering around at this time of night. But she just couldn’t help her curiosity! Bee was definitely going to freak out if she ever found out what she was doing. Sure, she may seem like one of the tamest of the group, but she had her own moments of recklessness too. Shivering slightly at the cold, she, with Orion trotting at her side as a guard dog, made their way to the community center. Just as she was about to climb up the stairs, she started as she heard the sound of a door shutting. The sound echoed through the air along with the sound of a soft groan. Initially starting at the sound, Cahaya looked around and soon saw a figure stumbling out from the saloon. They clearly had drunk more than they should have and looked like they could barely stand. When the figure looked like they were about to trip on their feet, Cahaya rushed over to them. Quickly placing down the lantern, she gently helped steady what she now identified as a male. He looked worn, to say the least; with dark purplish looking hair and a dark stubble, he seemed a tad older than her and was blinking blearily. “Sir? Sir are you alright? Do you need help getting home?” she asked as she checked on the male. He seemed fairly drunk but seemed more exhausted than anything. He grumbled and gruffed that he was fine but seeing the state he was in and how his eyes seemed basically closed, Cahaya gave a frown. 

Coaxing Orion into carrying the lantern, Cahaya then determinedly had the male lean against her despite his protests. He grumbled and seemed to struggle weakly at first but his exhaustion seemed to have won and he gave a soft sigh before murmuring directions. Cahaya nodded and carefully walked them towards the ranch by the forest. The man seemed to be slurring out words throughout the trip, but they were too garbled for Cahaya to understand. Having oftentimes dealt with her best friend/pseudo brother being drunk multiple times, she had her fair share of experiencing different drunk moods. Judging from the state of the man, he had more than his fair share of drinks for the night. The duo soon reached Marnie’s ranch and with a bit of fumbling around, the male soon managed to open the door.

When she was sure he could make it inside, Cahaya took the lamp from Orion and turned to make her leave. As she did, she heard something so soft she almost missed it. It was a murmur of thanks from the male. Having caught the murmur, Cahaya turned to give a smile and nod before heading back. It was a good thing that she had brought a lamp with her; the community center was even creepier at night. Quickly making her way to the scroll, she brought out the wild plants and laid them out. The moment she placed down the last flower, there was a bright flash and she shielded her eyes. Once the glow dimmed and she lowered her hands and saw a junimo standing before her carrying a green bundle. It chirped at her, even giving a little dance as it held the bundle above its head. Again, she seemed to hear faint words between its chirps. “You’re very welcome,” she said with a smile before there was a flash once more and another green junimo appeared.    
  
Compared to their companion, this junimo seemed to be carrying a gift for her. Taking the gift from the being with thanks, she peeked inside to find multiple bags of seeds. While she was making the exchange with the junimos, Orion was sniffing at the beings. One of them squealed as Orion’s snout neared them while the other patted the dog’s nose. This resulted in the canine reeling back and shaking its head before sneezing. Cahaya giggled at the scene before gently petting the pooch in comfort as he came to her with a soft whine. Thanking the beings once more, she stood and gave a yawn. Watching as the junimos trotted off with the bundle, Cahaya waited before they disappeared from sight before standing to make her leave. On the way out, she managed to spot the Junimos disappearing into the hut with the bundle. Seeing other Junimos peeking out and waving, she gave a wave back before heading home with Orion sticking to her side. Just as she was about to head back to the nest, she had a brief petting session with Orion then carefully wiggled back to sleep. 

When morning came, Cahaya had Lana help her in forming a new field for the seeds she received from the junimos. Safe to say, everyone was surprised that the nature beings did in fact trade with Cahaya for the wild plants. While Lana and Cahaya were tending to the fields, Markus volunteered in doing the fishing for the day. Once again, Bee had gone off to the mines to see if she could find more gems. So far she had reached level 10 and was more than furious when she learned that any levels found before the next 10th or 5th level were found were reset the next day. Given that Bee was getting a little too immersed with her treasure hunt, Cahaya made a deal with the girl. So long as she went home for group dinners and maintained proper updates, she could have a day of full mining until as late as she wanted. Bee was saving that day for Friday, so for today, after finding a good handful of ores and some quartz, Bee took a step out of the mines.    


Checking on the time, she saw that it was a quarter to 8 and sent a message that she was on her way home. While putting away her phone, she happened to spot a figure on the other side of the lake. From this distance, it was hard to tell who it was, but they were clearly smoking if the puffs of smoke that was coming from them were any indication. Moving to see who it was, Bee soon saw that it was a male in a hoodie that was smoking. She raised her hand in greeting, saying “Hey stranger” as she neared. The male didn’t look that much older than here and gave the general emo vibe given his hairstyle and clothing style. He had turned his head upon hearing Bee and greeted back, “Hey…You’re the new farmer right?” taking an inhale of his cigarette before puffing out a cloud. Bee clasped her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels as she replied, “Kinda? I’m just a helpin’ hand, cutie’s the one who inherited the farm and all, lemme guess, you’re ‘Sebby’ right? Robin’s son and the one we have to thank that his place is actually a part of the modern world?” 

The male flushed as he heard the nickname, groaning softly before taking another breath. “It’s Sebastian, and yeah, pretty sure we would’ve gone apocalyptic without the internet helping businesses here,” he said with a snort. Tilting his head at her, he asked, “Of all places you guys could have chosen, you really went for Pelican Town? Why?” and Bee shrugged. When she simply replied that the group was looking for a change, Sebastian stared at her with an unreadable look before shrugging. A comfortable silence then settled between the two as Bee watched the stars and Sebastian smoked away. Time to time, Bee would break it by pointing out a constellation, and Sebastian would hum in acknowledgment before pointing out a different constellation and murmuring what it was. For a while, the two simply settled with the comfortable presence of the other before Bee had to head home for dinner. While the two didn’t really say much to the other, both felt that they may have made a new friend.

* * *

It had been a day or so since her late-night adventure; while she was out cleaning the lower area of the farm, she paused as she passed the southern path. She had been distracted at the time with the whole Junimo encounter, but now, she couldn’t help but recall the male she had helped that time. The group had only moved a week or so ago and Cahaya could admit that the majority of them were rather recluse. Seeing as Marnie and whoever she was living with were their closest neighbors, perhaps it was time to get to know them. A nice gift would certainly make for a good icebreaker, plus she could double it as a thank you gift for the dogs. A variety of ideas crossed her mind as she thought on what to give their neighbors. It took her a while to settle on what to give. By the time she did, it was close to lunch. After tucking away her haul, she headed for the storage cabin and began searching through everything. 

The gift box was mainly some soothing teas and sweet treats but Cahaya hoped they would be enjoyed. Looking at the board and noting what she had taken out of storage, she slipped a note in the box and wrapped it up. She then headed out and headed south. Unsure on whether they were home, Cahaya carefully tucked the box into the mailbox next to the fenced field. Just as she did, she started at the sound of a cow close to her. Turning her head, she cooed as she saw that a brown cow was staring at her. For the next few minutes, Cahaya found herself cooing over the different animals that decided to step out and enjoy the sun. Once or twice she managed to pet one of the animals and would hold back a squeal of delight. The moment she heard someone approaching, however, she bid herself a hasty retreat to the farm. As soon as she found herself slowing by the crop fields, she froze and slapped her forehead. 

“You idiot!! Why the frick did you run away?!” she berated herself as she knelt on the ground. Thumping at her forehead, she quietly berated herself for being such a coward. She had even promised herself to be more social and ended up failing. Since there was nothing that she could do now, she heaved a sigh and headed inside to help with lunch. 

* * *

When they all gathered together, Markus decided to share more discoveries/tea that he had managed to gather around town. The moment he explained what Joja was blocking off in the mountains, Bee gave a sound of outrage. “You’re tellin’ me, that we could have had a FUCKING SPA if it wasn’t for these so-called ‘business negotiations’” her tone hard and fire practically bursting from her eyes. Without missing a beat, Cahaya intoned, “No murder Bee” delicately sipping at her drink. Visibly restraining herself, Bee then took a deep break before taking another bite of her meal. Lana, who seemed highly interested in the topic, suddenly took out her notebook and began taking notes. Ever since they started talking about Joja, it seems like Lana had decided to develop an expose piece on them. While it had only been a week, Lana had reached the point where she had her own board to place notes and other information for her developing stories. 

So far, she had a developing story going on regarding the multiple unrepaired structures and how little work the Mayor seemed to be doing. Well, any work outside of organizing the festivals at least. They had no way of accessing the town funds but it was rather clear that the town was highly dependent on trading. Then there is of course the whole Joja scheme going one with the possible takeover plan. After posting a note on her board regarding the new information, she asked, “Any more plots afoot with the ‘big bad company’?” Markus snorted at that before relaying, “Pretty sure they intend to try and take over the town for their business, pretty cliche stuff if you ask me. At the moment, you don’t really need to pay them any mind” a devilish grin dancing across his lips. Bee narrowed her eyes at him, pointing a fork at him, “Creepy, you’re a creepy bean Marky” she said before chugging the rest of her glass of juice. 

Markus simply shrugged before looking over to Cahaya, “So... I saw that you added a note to our storage list, did you make another gift box?” he asked. The moment he said that though, Cahaya couldn’t help but slump and gently thump her head against the table. “I was an idiot” she groaned, “I was supposed to get to know the villagers but ended up running away like some scared rabbit” thumping her head harder only to be stopped by Bee placing a hand between her forehead and the table. Lana placed a hand on her shoulder, “There’s always next time Haya” she comforted. Cahaya sighed at that before resting her head on her arms. She hoped that they liked the gift. She had even added little notes and instructions for the teas to be more effective. The memory of the drunken male truly stuck to her and all she could think of was how he seemed to need a friend. 

Friday had arrived and for that day, Bee decided to use her late-night slot. Making use of the gear to hold her camera provided by Markus, Bee was able to do her mining even faster. In the first few levels, luck was on her side as she managed to gather a good bundle of oars and some quartz. By the time she reached the 10th level though, it seemed as if there were more slimes and bugs popping up more than usual. For the most part, she was able to make clean work of them and gather as many materials she could fit in her pack. There was a point, however, that she had to take a break. Making sure that the area was monster free, she took a seat to have a snack and send an update to Cahaya and the others. There wasn’t anything that was notable found so far but Bee was determined to find a new gem to make a collection of. So far, it seemed that she was racking a good tally in the monster-slaying department. 

With all the mining and battling she was doing though, Bee could admit that she was getting a tad tired. It was a good thing that she had thought to bring a snack bag to munch on. Having a few granola bars and sandwiches really helped her in trucking on. Of course, she made sure to portray that she was doing good and going strong with each update she shared with Cahaya. She knew that the moment the other girl sensed something wrong, Markus would come running to haul her butt home. Bee couldn’t have that happening, especially when she was so close to reaching the 15th level of the mines. Discovering that the mines basically rest if a 5’s or 10’s level wasn’t reached was still a harsh blow of a memory. There was no way she was gonna let that happen again. Still, there strangely seemed to be more of a challenge in mining and battling than usual. The slimes seemed even more aggressive today. Well, that just meant more battle experience for her then. 

On the upside, she managed to find her first-ever topaz, or she hoped it was. So far the gems that she had found in the mines were not what she expected. She was rather miffed that most of the barrels and crates contained normal materials, but hey, at least she managed to gather a good supply of coal. Plus, she had managed to find a weird new plant. It looked like a black carrot with oversized leaves. She had meant to show it to the others when she found the first one but she had stored it in the chest she placed by the elevator and had forgotten about it. The main reason she had even placed that chest in the first place was to open more space in her bag. Really though, she needed to double check that chest more. If she wasn’t careful, she would end up leaving way more important things than a mere plant. At least she had a safe place the tools she didn’t need and she could head back up to drop the rocks and other materials she picked up too. She even had her own chest filled with copper ores, a few gems, and copper bars back home. Seeing how the forge worked, she had volunteered to take over anything related to mining. 

As she reached around the 12th level of the mines, she had encountered a new monster in the form of a sort of crab disguised as one of the rocks. It took her a while for her to figure out how to defeat the thing and even then she had to defend herself against other monsters deciding to pop up. By the time she had managed to find the ladder down to the 14th level of the mines, she was feeling rather haggard. What’s more, she was getting low in food and other supplies to keep her going too. She really should have avoided more of the slimes in the previous levels but she was just too tempted with adding to her tally. Having just been confirmed as a member of the Adventure Guild, she was rather excited to break all the records posted. What’s more, they got a whole collection of weapons and other things that she HAD to save up for. There was only so much she could do with the old sword that she had been given initially. On the bright side, she managed to loot another weapon. The downside however was that she was getting more than tired with battling monsters and didn’t know how much longer she could last. 

Just as she was in the middle of gathering some ore, she happened to spot a piece of quartz and headed for it. When she did though, she found herself getting a surprise attack from a slime. Having no time to defend herself, Bee stumbled back with a grunt. “Oho? You think you can get the jump on me? Think again, goop face!” she cried before giving a battle cry and slashed away. It was just her luck, however, that when she went to attack the slime, another one pounced at her side. The attack had her stuck with globs of slime slowing down her movements. While struggling, she looked around to see that she had landed herself in a spot with a pack of slimes bouncing about. The entire time, she had been streaming her journey from the 10th level and thus commented, “Uh… well cutie… looks like I’m in trouble here… ahhhh!” screaming towards the end as the slimes swarmed her. 

* * *

Cahaya had just finished up doing inventory when she decided to check on her phone. Upon seeing the latest that happened to Bee, she dropped her pen in shock. Just as Bee screamed, Cahaya cried, “Bee!!” before the screen went dark. For the next few minutes, Cahaya frantically tapped at her phone before turning panic filled eyes to Markus. Before anything else could be said, Markus was running out the door with Cahaya hot at his heels. Knowing that Bee would not want to be brought to the clinic, Lana hurriedly went to get the first aid kit before following the duo. Being the fastest of the group, it didn’t take long for Markus to reach the mines first. Knowing Bee was close to the 15th level, he rushed to the elevator and made his way down to the 10th level. From there he made a mad dash in search of the ladders and how far they went down. He soon reached the 14th level and called out for Bee. Hearing no response, he quickly looked around and soon found Bee collapsed at the ground with slimes idling around her fallen pack. 

He quickly kicked away the slimes and gathered Bee and her pack. Not wanting to jostle her too much, it was a bit of a struggle to climb up to the 10th floor. By the time they were out of the elevator, Bee was groaning and stirring awake. With great care, Markus had Bee lay her head on Cahaya’s lap for some cushioning and began looking her over along with Lana. Gently patting her friend’s cheek, Cahaya murmured, “Bee? Come on sunflower, it’s time to wake up now” urging her groaning friend. “She looks a little banged up, but nothing too serious” Markus summed up after checking her over. Upon hearing that, Cahaya pinched Bee’s cheek and began to lecture her on not being careful like she had promised. While she did, Lana tended to her scrapes. Trying to sit up only to be stopped by Cahaya, Bee asked, “My stuff… where’s my stuff?” looking around. “Right here bumble” Markus responded, raising the pack for her to see before taking a peek inside, “Looks like a few stuff aren’t here… oh, sorry Bee, I must have left them when I went to get you.” 

Cahaya, who had just finished her lecture and had ended it by pinching Bee’s nose, gave a hiss at that. When the others looked at her in confusion, she explained, “Well, Bee is definitely in no state to get back down there now. So per town agreement, only Uncle Marlon can get them back and we will need to pay a fee to get whatever item was lost back. Plus we can only get like 1 or 2 items back” sighing towards the end. “Oh yeah… you said that’s how they earned for the guild right? By being the town miners and doing some trade work” Markus mused while tossing the idea of going down himself away. He certainly didn’t want to take away any work from a fair earning business. It certainly did make sense that the Adventurer’s Guild would have to find a way to keep going with how much they dwindled over the years. Cahaya then looked over to Markus and said, “Perhaps you could try a hand in joining Bee here in the mines Markus, I’d certainly feel better if she had company to watch her back” shushing Bee as she groaned and seemed to be weakly protesting while making grabby hands at her pack but Cahaya stopped her. 

Markus thought on it and found merit with the idea. He had read a bit of the book that Cahaya’s grandfather had on the mines a few times. There was a good profit to be found if they went to the lower levels. Knowing Bee, he would have to join her when the more gem heavy levels were discovered in order to stop her from any hoarding. Checking the pack once more, he asked, “It looks like all that’s left here is your pickaxe and sword, a whole bunch of stones, and… a brown… carrot?” pulling out each item he mentioned and pausing to stare at the last item in confusion. Bee, who seemed to have finally gone back to her senses, froze as Markus listed what items were left. Robotically turning to Markus, she said, “Pardon moi? Could… Could you repeat that?” her eye twitching. Slowly, Markus recited what items were left in the bag once again and braced himself. Then, Bee slowly began to shake and both Lana and Cahaya peered at her worriedly. 

However, Cahaya, who knew Bee best, could tell what was happening, cringed back a bit. Just before she could say anything, Bee intoned, “So… you’re tellin’ me… I lost ALL of the gems that I had got, gotta BUY them back, AND I didn’t reach the 15th level, so I gotta restart at level 10?” shaking harder with each fact she stated. When the others gave a tentative nod, Bee inhaled deeply. Then, from the mines to the general mountain area, one thing echoed throughout.

**“SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”**


End file.
